George Gorton

{{Short description|American political consultant}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{sources|date=August 2009}}

George Gorton (March 30, 1947 – May 11, 2022{{cite web | url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/obituaries/story/2022-06-01/george-gorton-obit | title=George Gorton, political strategist and world traveler, dies at 75 | date=June 2022 }}) was an American Republican Party political consultant from California. He helped lead national political campaigns in Russia, Panama, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Canada and the United States.

His involvement in Boris Yeltsin's reelection campaign, along with his partners Joe Shumate and Dick Dresner, was the subject of a ten-page cover story in Time magazine,{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,984833,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105000101/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,984833,00.html|url-status=live|archive-date=January 5, 2013|title=Rescuing Boris|last=Kramer|first=Michael|date=July 15, 1996|magazine=Time |access-date=August 6, 2009}} and a major motion picture (Spinning Boris) where George, the central figure in the movie, is played by Jeff Goldblum.{{cite news|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1S1-9200403130773654.html|title=The Americans in Moscow: How to Spin a Russian Election|date=March 13, 2004|work=New York Times|accessdate=August 6, 2009}}

Gorton served on the national campaign teams of Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He managed all of Governor Pete Wilson's successful gubernatorial and US Senate races.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-12-mn-49329-story.html|title=The Mystic Behind Wilson's Mystique - Politics: Adviser met with guru before agreeing to run reelection bid.|last=Wallace|first=Amy|date=October 12, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 6, 2009}} He was the first political consultant hired by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2000 and was the chief strategist for his campaign for governor in 2003.{{cite news|url=http://www.voiceofsandiego.org:80/articles/2008/06/23/news/gorton-full062308.txt|title=From San Diego to Moscow: George Gorton's Strange and Wild Assignments (part 1)|last=Bennett|first=Kelly|date=June 23, 2008|publisher=Voice of San Diego|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725084056/http://www.voiceofsandiego.org:80/articles/2008/06/23/news/gorton-full062308.txt |accessdate=March 11, 2023|archive-date=July 25, 2008 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/06/24/news/gorton-full062408.txt|title=From San Diego to Moscow: George Gorton's Strange and Wild Assignments (part 2)|last=Bennett|first=Kelly|date=June 23, 2008|publisher=Voice of San Diego|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725065250/http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/06/24/news/gorton-full062408.txt |accessdate=March 11, 2023|archive-date=July 25, 2008 }}