Stuart Stevens
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{short description|American writer and political consultant}}
{{For|the British actor|Steven Beale}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Stuart Stevens
|image = Stuart Stevens at MIT Comparative Media Studies.jpg
|caption = Stevens Interviewed at MIT in 2018
|birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|58|2012|7|29}}
|birth_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Republican (Before 2020)
Independent (2020–present)
|education = Colorado College (BA)
Middlebury College (MA)
University of California, Los Angeles
}}
Stuart Stevens is an American author and political consultant. He was the cofounder of Washington, D.C.–based political media consultancy Stevens & Schriefer Group (with Russell Schriefer). In 2013, he became a founding partner in Strategic Partners & Media.{{cite web |title=Screen Agnostic Storytellers |url=http://strategicpartnersmedia.com |work=Strategic Partners & Media |accessdate=March 4, 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/elections/consult043000.htm |title=OnPolitics |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 30, 2000 |accessdate=July 4, 2012}} He served as a top strategist{{cite magazine|url=http://www.tnr.com/article/magazine/politics/105738/stuart-stevens-romney-strategist-interesting |title=The Square and the Flair |magazine=The New Republic |date=August 2, 2012 |accessdate=September 23, 2012|first=Noam|last=Scheiber}} for Mitt Romney's failed 2012 presidential campaign{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/us/politics/stuart-stevens-redefining-romneys-presidential-run.html|title=An Unconventional Strategist Reshaping Romney|date=September 19, 2011|accessdate=July 4, 2012|work=The New York Times|first=Ashley|last=Parker}} in addition to several other significant presidential campaigns over the course of his career. He later joined The Lincoln Project, a Republican Never Trump group for the 2020 United States presidential election.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Stuart Stevens joins Lincoln Project|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-romney-strategist-stuart-stevens-joins-lincoln-project/2020/05/28/2cedb70a-a141-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html%3foutputType=amp|access-date=|website=Wash Post}} In 2023, he published an analysis of political changes moving toward autocracy.
Early life and education
Stevens, who is from Jackson, Mississippi, grew up in the southern United States in the 1960s. He felt that the Democratic Party members he knew consisted predominantly of "good ol' boy" segregationists; he chose instead to join the Republican Party. He attended Colorado College (BA English, 1974),{{cite journal |last1=Weddell |first1=Leslie |title=On the Bookshelf |journal=Colorado College Bulletin |date=Winter 2016 |page=36 |url=https://sites.coloradocollege.edu/bulletin/files/2016/12/CC-BUL-WINTER16.pdf |access-date=10 November 2023 |publisher=Colorado College |location=Colorado Springs, CO |quote=Reviewing Stuart Stevens' The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear}} Pembroke College, Oxford (study abroad English, 1972),{{cite web | url=https://pcfna.org/?page_id=1096 | title=Stuart Stevens }} Middlebury College (MA English, 1976),{{cite web | url=https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/gop-refugee-stuart-stevens-a-trump-bashing-romney-advising-political-operative-finds-himself-in-vermont/Content?oid=8499920 | title=Trump-Bashing, Romney-Advising Political Operative Stuart Stevens Finds Himself in Vermont }} and UCLA Film School (studied MFA Film).{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Mike|last2=VandeHei|first2=Jim |title=Inside the campaign: How Mitt Romney stumbled|url=http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=B6BEB452-8AF1-45FC-8831-9FCFF5CE1576|newspaper=Politico|date=September 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918081809/http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=B6BEB452-8AF1-45FC-8831-9FCFF5CE1576|archive-date=September 18, 2012|url-status=live}}
Stevens is an extreme sports enthusiast who participates in triathlons. He has completed the Paris–Brest–Paris bicycle race and once skied the last 100 miles to the North Pole.{{cite magazine|last=Scheiber|first=Noam|title=The Square and The Flair|url=http://www.tnr.com/article/magazine/politics/105738/stuart-stevens-romney-strategist-interesting|magazine=The New Republic|date=August 2, 2012}}
Career
Beginning his political career in his native Mississippi, Stevens worked on Thad Cochran’s campaigns and others. Stevens worked for Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign and was part of George W. Bush's media team in 2000 and 2004. His book The Big Enchilada is a chronicle of Bush's 2000 campaign. He and Russell Schriefer worked for John McCain's campaign early in the 2008 election, but changed their allegiance to Mitt Romney by July 2007.
Overseas, Stevens worked successfully for two candidates in 2005 and 2006. In Albania, he worked for Prime Minister Sali Berisha during the 2005 election campaign, where he based the campaign primarily on "a pledge to reduce corruption".[http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/109214/stuart-stevens-shady-past-clients-revealed Stuart Stevens' Stuart Stevens’ Shady Past Clients, Revealed]| Penn Bullock| October 29, 2012| tnr.com| accessed October 29, 2012 He also worked for 2006 election campaign of Joseph Kabila in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He has served as strategist and media consultant to dozens of congressmen, governors and senators. Notable clients include President Bush, Governor Romney, Governor Haley Barbour, Governor Tom Ridge, Senator Thad Cochran, Senator Dick Lugar, Senator Mel Martínez, Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Roger Wicker, Senator Jon Kyl, Governor Bill Weld, Governor Paul Cellucci, Governor Bob Riley, and others.
In 2010, Stevens served as strategist and media consultant to three winning senate campaigns: Rob Portman in Ohio, Roy Blunt in Missouri, and Dan Coats in Indiana.
In 2011–2012, Stevens was the lead strategist in Governor Romney's presidential campaign. He is credited with developing the strategy that won the primary.{{cite web |first1=Jim |last1=Rutenberg |first2=Jeff |last2=Zeleny |title=Facing Second Loss to Gingrich, Romney Went on Warpath |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/us/politics/the-calculations-that-led-romney-to-the-warpath.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |date=January 28, 2012 |accessdate=March 4, 2019}}
In 2014, Stevens helped Senator Thad Cochran win the Mississippi Senate race which included overcoming primary challenger Chris McDaniel. During the 2014 election cycle, Stevens and his business partner Russ Schriefer saw all of their clients win their general election campaigns including Governor Larry Hogan in Maryland and Elise Stefanik – the youngest woman ever elected to congress.{{cite web |first=Reid |last=Cherlin |title=The Maryland Governor's Race Was a Rematch of Romney and Obama Consultants – With a Very Different Outcome |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/man-behind-the-red-win-in-blue-maryland.html |work=New York |date=November 7, 2014 |accessdate=March 4, 2019}}{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Stevens |title=How Thad Cochran Pulled Off a Win Over Chris McDaniel (Simple, Really) |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/06/30/how-thad-cochran-pulled-off-a-win-over-chris-mcdaniel-simple-really.html |work=The Daily Beast |date=June 30, 2014 |accessdate=March 4, 2019}}
=Romney campaign=
Stevens emerged from an internal power struggle during Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, in which he and Schriefer clashed with the campaign's existing media team, to become Romney's senior strategist in 2012. In that role he was responsible for the campaign's focus on employment, its efforts to help Romney connect with voters, and its aggressive primary campaign against Rick Perry. Stevens and Schriefer also handled advertising for the campaign.
==Controversy==
Stevens was publicly criticized by numerous Romney campaign officials, according to a widely cited Politico article published on the evening of September 16, 2012, but was largely overshadowed by the 47% comment in the 2012 Romney video leak the following day.{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81280.html|title=Inside the campaign: How Mitt Romney stumbled|date=September 16, 2012|accessdate=September 26, 2012|work=Politico|first=Mike|last=Allen}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/us/politics/mitt-romney-seeks-to-turn-campaign-focus-to-his-plans.html?pagewanted=all|title=Amid Discord, Romney Seeks to Sharpen Message|date=September 16, 2012|accessdate=September 26, 2012|work=The New York Times|first=Jim|last=Rutenberg}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/who-is-stuart-stevens/2012/09/17/08f91446-00dd-11e2-b257-e1c2b3548a4a_story.html|title=Top Romney strategist Stuart Stevens likely to stay despite criticism|date=September 17, 2012|accessdate=September 26, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Nia-Malika|last=Henderson}}
=Donald Trump and Joe Biden=
Stevens was one of the most prominent Republicans to oppose Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.{{cite web |first=James |last=Rainey |title=TV Writer Stuart Stevens Gets Tough in Political Novel and on Donald Trump |url=https://variety.com/2016/biz/news/the-innocent-have-nothing-to-fear-stuart-stevens-donald-trump-1201817535/ |work=Variety |date=July 19, 2016 |accessdate=March 4, 2019}} On May 28, 2020, Stevens announced that he had joined the Lincoln Project.{{Cite news |last1=Costa |first1=Robert |last2=Lee |first2=Michelle Ye Hee |date=May 28, 2020 |title=Former Romney strategist Stuart Stevens joins Lincoln Project |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-romney-strategist-stuart-stevens-joins-lincoln-project/2020/05/28/2cedb70a-a141-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-date=May 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529131412/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-romney-strategist-stuart-stevens-joins-lincoln-project/2020/05/28/2cedb70a-a141-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html}} In October 2020, Stevens said that he planned to vote for Joe Biden and the straight Democratic ticket.{{Cite web|url=https://podcast.thebulwark.com/two-angry-strategists|title = Two Angry Strategists}}
Television and film
Works
{{incomplete list|date=March 2017}}
- {{citation|title = Night Train to Turkistan: Modern Adventures Along China's Ancient Silk Road|publisher = Atlantic Monthly Press|year = 1988|isbn = 9780871131904|url = https://archive.org/details/nighttraintoturk00stev}}{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9h5IAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cAANAAAAIBAJ&dq=stuart%20stevens%20night%20train%20to%20turkistan&pg=3304%2C6311704|title=Area man narrates gruelling China trip|date=May 22, 1988|accessdate=July 5, 2012|work=Record-Journal|first=Lisa|last=Firke}}
- {{citation|title = Malaria Dreams: An African Adventure|publisher = Atlantic Monthly Press|year = 1989|isbn = 9780871133618}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/11/books/books-of-the-times-africa-as-backdrop-for-a-comic-adventure.html|title=Books of The Times; Africa as Backdrop for a Comic Adventure|date=August 11, 1989|accessdate=July 5, 2012|work=The New York Times|first=Michiko|last=Kakutani|authorlink=Michiko Kakutani}}
- {{citation|title = Feeding Frenzy: Across Europe in Search of the Perfect Meal|publisher = Ballantine Books|year = 1998|isbn = 9780345425546}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/thursdays-book-1138697.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/thursdays-book-1138697.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=thursday's book|date=January 15, 1998|accessdate=March 4, 2019|work=The Independent|first=Christopher|last=Hirst}}
- The Last Season: A Father, a Son, and a Lifetime of College Football, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015{{Cite web|url=http://www.stuartstevens.com/thelastseason|title=stuartpstevens|website=stuartpstevens|access-date=March 28, 2017}}
- {{citation|title = The Big Enchilada: Campaign Adventures With the Cockeyed Optimists from Texas Who Won the Biggest Prize in Politics|publisher = Simon & Schuster|year = 2001|isbn = 9780743222907|url = https://archive.org/details/bigenchiladacamp00stev}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec01/stevens_8-20.html|title=The Big Enchilada|date=August 20, 2001|accessdate=July 5, 2012|work=Online NewsHour|publisher=Public Broadcasting Service|archive-date=January 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122004028/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec01/stevens_8-20.html|url-status=dead}}
- {{citation|title = The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear|publisher = Simon & Schuster|year = 2001|isbn = 9780743222907}}
- It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2020{{Cite book|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623807/it-was-all-a-lie-by-stuart-stevens/ |title=It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump |isbn=9780525658450|access-date=February 1, 2021|last1=Stevens |first1=Stuart |year=2020 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}
- The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Democracy to Autocracy, 2023 {{ISBN|9781538765401}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{C-SPAN|38079}}
- {{citation|publisher = C-SPAN|format = video|url = http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/AnalysisP|work = Laszlo and Associates|title = Midterm Elections Analysis Panel 1|date = November 9, 1994|author = Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Stuart}}
Category:20th-century American novelists
Category:American male novelists
Category:20th-century American memoirists
Category:American political consultants
Category:Mississippi Republicans
Category:Mississippi independents
Category:Writers from Jackson, Mississippi
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:20th-century American male writers
Category:Novelists from Mississippi