Bill Burton (political consultant)

Burton was born in Buffalo, New York, on August 9, 1977. He is the son of Troy Burton, who is African American,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/fashion/weddings/15VOWS.html|title=Laura Capps and Bill Burton|last=Halbfinger|first=David M.|date=July 15, 2007|newspaper=The New York Times}}{{Cite web|last=Zremski|first=Jerry|title=Troy Allen Burton, steelworker and father of Obama aide|url=https://buffalonews.com/obituaries/troy-allen-burton-steelworker-and-father-of-obama-aide/article_1d263794-e590-54a0-9442-ce49e597f162.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=The Buffalo News|date=3 February 2017 |language=en}} and a white mother.{{Cite book|last=Goff|first=Keli|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y8aa8mXDBrMC&q=Bill+Burton+biracial&pg=PT44|title=Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence|date=2009-04-28|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-7867-3232-6|language=en}} Burton graduated from the University of Minnesota, earning a bachelor's degree in English literature with a focus on African American literature.{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/bill-burton|title=Bill Burton {{!}} HuffPost|website=www.huffingtonpost.com|access-date=2019-01-29}}

Burton worked as a press secretary for Bill Luther. He was press secretary for Tom Harkin from 2001 to 2003, and communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in the 2006 election cycle.{{Cite web|url=http://roseinstitute.org/bill-burton-former-deputy-white-house-press-secretary/|title=Bill Burton, former Deputy White House Press Secretary to speak with Rose Institute students on April 13 at 6:00 pm (Kravis Center 437) {{!}} The Rose Institute of State and Local Government|website=roseinstitute.org|access-date=2019-01-29}} He has worked on the campaigns of Richard Gephardt, John Kerry, and Barack Obama.{{cite web|title=Bill Burton|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-burton/gIQAFW7ZAP_topic.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509073200/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-burton/gIQAFW7ZAP_topic.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 9, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 23, 2014}} Burton signed on with candidate Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) after Gephardt dropped out of the presidential race of 2004. Kerry lost the White House to incumbent George W. Bush after winning the Democratic nomination.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-burton/gIQAFW7ZAP_email.html?noredirect=on|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015958/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-burton/gIQAFW7ZAP_email.html?noredirect=on|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-02-07|title=Bill Burton|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2019-02-06}} In 2007, Burton joined the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, where he worked as national press secretary.{{cite news|last=Stein|first=Sam|title=Bill Burton Heading To Obama White House|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/14/bill-burton-heading-to-ob_n_157839.html|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=February 14, 2009}}

During the Obama administration, Burton served as Deputy White House Press Secretary under Robert Gibbs from December 2009 until February 2011. He was also a Special Assistant to the President during the same time. In the role, Burton served as an adviser to the president and was tasked with briefing reporters. Burton also frequently traveled with the president on domestic and international visits.{{Cite web|url=https://politicon.com/speaker/bill-burton/|title=Bill Burton|website=Politicon|access-date=2019-02-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/28/politics/bill-burton-howard-schultz/index.html|title=Former Obama aide joins Howard Schultz's team. Democrats aren't happy.|last1=Merica|first1=Dan|last2=Alesci|first2=Cristina|website=CNN|access-date=2019-01-29|last3=Buck|first3=Rebecca|last4=Zeleny|first4=Jeff|date=29 January 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-obama-staff-gibbs-idUSTRE70432520110105|title=Obama's press spokesman Robert Gibbs to leave|date=2011-01-05|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-01-29|language=en}} Burton was the first White House employee to have an official Twitter account.{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Ben|title=Twittering from the White House|url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0110/Twittering_from_the_White_House.html|access-date=2020-08-04|website=POLITICO|language=en}}

Burton left the White House in February 2011. He was a co-founder and senior strategist with the Priorities USA Action super PAC,{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/campaign-finance/pac/priorities-usa-action.html|title=Priorities USA Action|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-01-29|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.skdknick.com/skdks-bill-burton-named-pr-weeks-40-40/|title=PR Week's 2016 40 Under 40: Bill Burton|date=2016-08-01|website=SKDKnickerbocker|language=en|access-date=2019-01-29}} Referring to Priorities USA Action's "Stage" ad{{Cite web|title=Stage - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLo0Jwj03JU|access-date=2020-08-04|website=www.youtube.com| date=23 June 2012 }} criticizing Mitt Romney before the 2012 presidential election, Frank Luntz said “that ad alone has killed Mitt Romney in Ohio.”{{Cite web|last=Kroll|first=Andy|title=The Devastating Bain Ad That Could "Kill" Romney in Ohio|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/obama-super-pac-election-ohio-priorities-usa-action/|access-date=2020-08-04|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US}} In January 2013, Burton helped open the Washington, D.C. office of Global Strategy Group, a Public Relations firm based in New York City.{{cite news|last=Joseph|first=Cameron|title=Bill Burton heads to Global Strategy Group|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/139660-bill-burton-heads-to-global-strategy-group/|newspaper=The Hill|date=January 18, 2013}}

SKDKnickerbocker later hired Burton to open their California office in Los Angeles. In 2020, he launched Bryson Gillette, a minority-owned political and strategic communications firm in Los Angeles.

On January 28, 2019, it was reported that Burton, along with Steve Schmidt, had been hired to help consider a potential presidential run by former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.{{cite web |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Ed |last2=Montoya-Galvez |first2=Camilo |title=Howard Schultz makes political hires as he mulls 2020 bid |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-schultz-makes-political-hires-as-he-mulls-2020-bid/ |website=CBS News |date=28 January 2019 |access-date=29 January 2019}} In September 2019, Schultz officially announced that he would not run in 2020, citing health concerns.{{Cite magazine |date=2019-01-15 |title=Meet the Major Candidates Running for President in 2020 |url=https://time.com/5460620/2020-presidential-candidates/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}

In 2007, he married Laura Capps, daughter of former California congresswoman Lois Capps. They have one son, Oscar, and lived in Santa Barbara, California, before divorcing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.com/2015/03/19/family-business/|title=Family Business|last1=Mar 19|first1=Indy Staff Thu|last2=2015 {{!}} 12:00am|date=2015-03-19|website=The Santa Barbara Independent|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/01/bill-burton/|title=Bill Burton: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|last=Laviola|first=Erin|date=2019-01-30|website=Heavy.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-04}}

Burton married Kelly Ward Burton, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee,{{Cite web|date=2017-12-04|title=Board of Directors and Leadership {{!}} National Democratic Redistricting Committee|url=https://democraticredistricting.com/leadership/|access-date=2020-08-04|website=democraticredistricting.com|language=en-US}} on April 6, 2019.

{{reflist}}

• {{C-SPAN|25694}}

{{Improve categories|date=July 2021}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Bill}}

Category:1977 births

Category:American political consultants

Category:Living people

Category:Obama administration personnel

Category:People from Buffalo, New York

Category:University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni