Steve Schmidt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Schmidt in 2023 | |
| Born | Stephen Edward Schmidt (1970-09-28)September 28, 1970 (age 55) |
| Education | University of Delaware (BA) |
| Political party | Democratic (2020–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (1988–2018) Independent (2018–2020)[1] |
| Spouse | Angela Schmidt (divorced) |
| Children | 3 |
Stephen Edward Schmidt[2] (born September 28, 1970)[3] is an Americanpolitical and corporate strategist. He is best known as a co-founder of theLincoln Project in 2019, in opposition to Donald Trump and his leadership of the Republican Party. He left it in 2021 and has co-founded theSave America Movement, a PAC organized to oppose the actions of the Republican Party under Trump.
Earlier, Schmidt had worked onRepublican political campaigns, including those of PresidentGeorge W. Bush, California GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger, and Arizona SenatorJohn McCain during his2008 presidential campaign.[4][5]
He was a vice chair at the public relations firmEdelman,[6] where he advised CEOs and senior decision makers at Fortune 500 corporations,[7] until he stepped down July 2018.[8] He became a political analyst forMSNBC in 2011,[9] and appeared on the third season ofShowtime'sThe Circus.[10]
Schmidt has been extremely critical ofDonald Trump, and of the GOP for supporting him. In June 2018, Schmidt renounced the Republican Party as "fully the party of Trump".[11] In September 2020, Schmidt predicted thatviolence would erupt as a result of Trump'selection denial proclamations.[12] In early December 2020, he stated: "The Republican Party is an organized conspiracy for the purposes of maintaining power for self-interest, and the self-interest of its donor class ... It's no longer dedicated to American democracy."[13][14]
Schmidt is a founder ofThe Lincoln Project, a group founded to campaign against Donald Trump. It became the most financially successfulSuper-PAC in American history, raising almost $100 million to campaign againstTrump's failed 2020 re-election bid.[15] He left the group in 2021.[15]
In apodcast on December 14, 2020, Schmidt announced that he planned to register as a member of theDemocratic Party.
The son of a schoolteacher and a telecommunications executive, Schmidt grew up inNorth Plainfield, New Jersey, where he became anEagle Scout, a tight end on the high school football team,[16] a two-year member of theNational Honor Society, and senior class vice president. In 1988, he was one of two graduating seniors voted "most likely to succeed" by his classmates atNorth Plainfield High School.[17] As a young boy, he distributed campaign materials for DemocratBill Bradley's1978 United States Senate election in New Jersey.[18]
Schmidt attended theUniversity of Delaware from 1988 through the spring of 1993, majoring inpolitical science.[19] During this time, he registered as a Republican. He left three credits short of graduation because he did not pass a math course. Schmidt has said that he has been diagnosed with alearning disability that makes higher math difficult for him.[16] He joined theDelta Tau Delta fraternity,[17] and worked on the1992 gubernatorial campaign of Delaware Republican B. Gary Scott.[19] Schmidt completed his final math course and received his degree in 2013.[20]
In 1995, Schmidt managed the unsuccessful campaign for KentuckyAttorney General ofWill T. Scott, who is formerly a Justice of theKentucky Supreme Court.[21] This Kentucky campaign's advertising strategy was featured in the second edition ofGeorge Magazine.
From 1997 to 1998, Schmidt was communications director for California State SenatorTim Leslie.[22] In 1998, he was the communications director for California State TreasurerMatt Fong's unsuccessful campaign to unseat U.S. SenatorBarbara Boxer.[23] In 1999, he was the communications director forLamar Alexander's presidential run, leaving in June when the campaign reduced its senior staff.[24]
By late 2000, Schmidt was communications director of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.[25][26]
In 2001, he became the communications director and chief communications strategist of theNational Republican Congressional Committee.[27]
Schmidt joined theBush administration as a deputy assistant to the president and counselor to Vice PresidentDick Cheney. In 2004, he was a member of the senior strategic planning group, led byWhite House adviserKarl Rove, that ran PresidentGeorge W. Bush's re-election campaign; Schmidt oversaw the reelection "war room".[22] In 2005 and 2006, he was the White House strategist responsible for theU.S. Supreme Court nominations of Chief JusticeJohn Roberts[22] and JusticeSamuel Alito .[28]
In 2006, Schmidt left the White House to become the campaign manager of the successful re-election campaign for California GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger,[28] following the firing of Mike Murphy, Rob Stutzman and Pat Clarey.[29] Prior to Schmidt's involvement, the governor's approval rating was 39%.[30] Schwarzenegger was predicted to lose the 2006 election, having lost four ballot measures in 2005.[31] The media strategist for Schwarzenegger's opponentPhil Angelides said that Schmidt "was able to restore Arnold's original appeal."[16] Countering a national anti-Republican wave, Schwarzenegger was re-elected in a landslide winning by a margin 17 percentage points in what was considered "a remarkable political turnaround."[31]
From there, he became a partner in Mercury Public Affairs in charge of Mercury's operations inCalifornia.[32]
In 2007, Schmidt was named "Campaign Manager of the Year" by theAmerican Association of Political Consultants.[33]
John McCain called Steve Schmidt in 2007 as his campaign was faltering and a majority of campaign staff had resigned.[34] McCain had gone from the Republican frontrunner on New Year's Day 2007 tolast place and bankruptcy by July 2007 under the leadership ofJohn Weaver andRick Davis.[35] After Schmidt joined the campaign as a volunteer, the McCain campaign moved from last place in the Republican primaries to win New Hampshire in January 2008, and then in South Carolina, Florida, California and other states, ultimately becoming the Republican nominee. McCain's comeback is regarded as among the greatest of the modern presidential era.[36]
After securing the nomination, the McCain campaign was viewed as "unfocused."[16] On July 2, 2008, Schmidt was appointed to head up day-to-day operations of the McCain campaign in response to concerns that the campaign lacked coordination and a clear message. Rick Davis retained the formal title of "campaign manager",[37] and was in charge of the vice presidential selection and vetting process,[38][39] alongside attorneyA.B. Culvahouse, resulting in the selection of Alaska governorSarah Palin.[40]
He was dismayed after learning that Davis had promoted Palin as McCain's running mate, saying in an interview withKyiv Post that "I thought she would bring down the entire campaign."[41] Schmidt's relationship with Palin was tumultuous, with Schmidt confronting her on multiple occasions.[42] He personally took charge of her debate preparations in the fall of 2008. On election night, Schmidt refused Palin's demands that she give a concession speech[43] and reminded her that vice presidential candidates do not traditionally speak on election night, out of concern that her speaking would debase the peaceful transition of power.[44][45]
In 2008, Schmidt worked to handle accusations that McCain was having an affair with a lobbyist.[46][47] According to Schmidt, McCain afterwards revealed to him that the accusation was true. In a 2022 article posted onThe Warning, Schmidt wrote that "John McCain's lie became mine."[47]
In 2022, Schmidt revealed he was deeply disillusioned with McCain by the end of the campaign and did not vote for him, and instead left his presidential vote blank.[48]
The New York Times described Schmidt's management as having transformed the McCain campaign into "an elbows-out, risk-taking, disciplined machine", crediting him with aggressive responses to press criticism and creative methods of manipulating the news cycle.[49]
Time's Michael Scherer, in an opinion piece from September 15, 2008, relating to Schmidt's involvement withJohn McCain's presidential campaign, stated that Schmidt, the "lord of outrage, has a long and prosperous career ahead of him".[50]
On September 22, 2008, Schmidt accusedThe New York Times ofbias against McCain in favor of his opponent,Barack Obama, calling theTimes "a pro-Obama advocacy organization that every day impugns the McCain campaign, attacks Senator McCain, attacks Governor (Sarah Palin)" and saying "Whatever The New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization."[51]
Schmidt turned down all public appearances during the 2008 Republican convention as a protest against the party's stance on gay marriage. His only appearance was before theLog Cabin Republicans, agay Republican group, during which he voiced his support forgay rights. He said: "I just wanted to take a second to come by and pay my respect and the campaign's respect to your organization and to your group. Your organization is an important one in the fabric of our party" and "I admire your group and your organization and I encourage you to keep fighting for what you believe in because the day is going to come."[52]
Schmidt said about his sister and her (lesbian) life partner: "On a personal level, my sister and her partner are an important part of my life and our children's life."[52]
While leading the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign, the McCain campaign stated that "gay adoption is a state issue and does not endorse any federal legislation."[53]
In February 2013, Schmidt, along with 74 other Republicans, co-signed anamicus brief to theSupreme Court of the United States in support of overturningProposition 8. "The die is cast on this issue when you look at the percentage of younger voters who support gay marriage", he was quoted as saying. "AsDick Cheney said years ago, 'Freedom means freedom for everybody.'"[54]
Schmidt was hired by theAmerican Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in June 2013 to help spearhead the campaign to strike down state-based laws prohibiting same-sex marriage.[55]
In May 2018, when PresidentDonald Trump moved theU.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sparking violentGaza border protests, Schmidt said Trump "has blood on his hands".[56] The Embassy's opening coincided with the bloodiest day of the2018 Gaza border protests, with more than 57 Palestinians killed.[57] Despite initial violence after the decision, the United States under President Joe Biden decided to keep the embassy in Jerusalem.[58]
On June 19, 2018, Schmidt formally withdrew from theGOP overTrump's policy of separating immigrant families at theU.S. border with Mexico. He also cited Republican leadership for their failure to challenge the policy. Schmidt said of Trump, "We have in America – right now, at this hour – to understand that you have a lawless president, a vile president, a corrupt president, a mean, cruel president, who is seeking to remake the world order."[59]
In June 2018, he tweeted: "the Republican Party ... is fully the party of Trump. It is corrupt, indecent and immoral. With the exception of a few Governors likeBaker,Hogan andKasich it is filled with feckless cowards who disgrace and dishonor the legacies of the party's greatest leaders ... Today the GOP has become a danger to our democracy and our values."[11] During an August 2018 television appearance, he characterizedTrumpism as follows:
We're seeing somebody go to mass rallies, constantly lie to incite fervor in acult of personality base, we are seeing him make victimization honorable – they're all victims, right? We are seeing the allegation of conspiracy, the 'Deep State,' hidden, nefarious movements that only the leader can see. We see thescapegoating of minority populations, vulnerable populations, and lastly, the assertion that 'I need to exercise these powers that no president has ever claimed to have.' This is deliberate. This is an assault on objective truth. And once you get people to surrender their sovereignty, what is true is what the leader says is true, what is true is what the leader believes is true, even though what's true is staring you in the face. When that happens, you are no longer living in a democratic republic. Thirty-five percent of this country has checked out. They have joined a cult. They are obedient. They are obedient to the leader.[60]
Describing his new political orientation, he stated:
This Independent voter will be aligned with the only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies. That party is theDemocratic Party.[61]
On December 14, 2020, Schmidt announced he was joining the Democratic Party on his podcast,Battleground.[62]
On January 28, 2019, it was reported that Schmidt, along with Democratic consultantBill Burton, had been hired to help shape a potential presidential run by formerStarbucks CEOHoward Schultz.[63] After Schultz decided to withdraw from the race, Schmidt returned toMSNBC.[64] Schmidt helped advise Democratic CongressmanDean Phillips on the launch ofPhillips' 2024 presidential bid,[65] but was not a part of the campaign.[66]
Schmidt serves on the board of the nonprofit research organization Just Capital alongsideArianna Huffington,Deepak Chopra, and others.[67]
In August 2018, Schmidt launched a podcast withElise Jordan focused on the Trump presidency.[68] Schmidt parted ways with the podcast when Jordan and executive producerAdam Levine questioned Schmidt about his role as adviser to potential2020 presidential candidate Howard Schultz.[69]
Schmidt is a founding member ofThe Lincoln Project, aSuper PAC organized in 2019 by formerRepublican operatives opposed toDonald Trump's 2020 campaign for re-election. He instead supported the2020 campaign of Democratic nominee Joe Biden.[70] As of 2020, the organization had raised over $100 million, making it one of the most successful Super-PACs in history.[15] Schmidt and members of The Lincoln Project guest starred on Showtime'sThe Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth in 2020, giving viewers an insight to their strategies.[71]
In January 2020, an employee of Lincoln Project executive Ron Steslow's advertising company Tusk informed Steslow thatJohn Weaver had allegedly engaged in sexual harassment.[72] Steslow subsequently informed fellow board members Reed Galen andMike Madrid, and attorney Matt Sanderson.[73][74] In response to aNew York Times article detailing Weaver's contact with a 14-year-old boy while working as chief advisor toJohn Kasich in 2016,[75] Schmidt stated that the incidents of harassment involving Weaver had taken place "before The Lincoln Project" existed.[76]
Schmidt, who maintained that he had been unaware of the allegations before they became public,[77][78] released a statement on January 31, 2021, "No Lincoln Project employee, intern, or contractors ever made an allegation of inappropriate communication about John Weaver that would have triggered an investigation by HR or by an outside employment counsel. In other words, no human being ever made an allegation about any inappropriate sexualized communications about John Weaver ever."[79]
In February 2021, Schmidt stepped down from his position on The Lincoln Project board, which he had begun serving on following the departure of Steslow and Madrid only three weeks earlier, and released a statement in which he disclosed he was sexually molested as a teen and apologized to another co-founder, Jennifer Horn, for tweeting her private correspondence with a reporter. He also stated he was stepping down from the board in order to make room for the appointment of a woman to the board as the first step to "reform and professionalize" The Lincoln Project.[80] Since then, Schmidt has criticized the media's coverage of the story, and the conduct of Galen, Steslow, Madrid, and Horn.[81][82]
In 2018, Schmidt appeared on the third season ofShowtime'sThe Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth.[83]
In 2022, Schmidt established a newsletter,The Warning.[84] Using that platform, on May 8, 2022, he published an article titledNo Books. No Money. Just the Truth. In it, he discussed the 2008 campaign to elect John McCain and revealed that after Schmidt and the campaign personnel effectively overcame coverage of a reported affair with a lobbyist, McCain told him the report was correct.[85] Schmidt wrote about this in the article because he wanted to acknowledge his participation in "public lying".
Schmidt was portrayed byWoody Harrelson in the 2012HBO filmGame Change. The film, based on the book of the same title by political journalistsJohn Heilemann andMark Halperin, focuses on the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate in the2008 United States presidential election. The film depicts Schmidt's inner turmoil over the conflict between his political values and Palin's effect on both McCain's campaign and Republican politics as a whole.[86] Schmidt himself voiced his approval of the film, saying that "it tells the truth of the campaign"[87] and that watching the film was tantamount to an "out-of-body experience".[88]
Schmidt lives inSummit County, Utah. He has three children[89] with his former wife, Angela Schmidt.
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