Swann brings in a N.Y. strategist to lead campaign

Posted on Sat, Jul. 29, 2006
Swann brings in a N.Y. strategist to lead campaign
By Amy Worden and Carrie Budoff
Inquirer Staff Writers

HARRISBURG - Seeking to narrow gaping poll and fund-raising margins between himself and Gov. Rendell, Republican candidate Lynn Swann has hired a veteran New York political operative to fire up his campaign for the final stretch.

Walter Breakell, who last spring ran William Weld's failed campaign to win the GOP nomination for New York governor, joins the Swann campaign on Monday as chief of staff.
(snip)

As chief of staff, Breakell will carry out the duties of the campaign manager, Swann officials said, maintaining his hiring is part of a fall strategy mapped out months ago.
(snip)

But some Republicans view the move as a sign of a troubled campaign.
(snip/...)

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/15149537.htm

with Republicans parading celebrities running for office who only win on name recognition. Here's a list of Republican celebrities who are holding or recently held elected offices:

Actors/Actresses
Charleton Hesston
Ronald Reagan
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Fred Grandy
Fred Thompson
Sonny Bono

Sports Jocks
Jack Kemp
Steve Largent
JC Watts
Tom Osborne
Jim Bunning

In a third category, these Republicans were not sports jocks, but they have the same name as their jock relative and undoubtedly was helped by their name:

George Allen
Connie Mack

The only Democrat I can think of that fits in either of these categories is Bill Bradley, and he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Feel free to add to the list.

than people realize of these "celebrity" politicians the Republicans have enlisted.

High visibility, name recognition seem to be very cheap ways to get people's attention, and the ones you mention truly have seemed short of the actual demands of their jobs intellectually, except for Charlton Hesston, obviously.

I've got an obvious one connected to one of yours:
Mary Bono, who took over Sonny Bono's seat after his "bad skiing" accident.

New one:
Kansas Congressman, former Olympic long distance runner, who's had questions raised about his ethics, Jim Ryun.
Here's his wikipedia bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Ryun

:rofl:

...Weld's campaign tanked pretty quickly, so now the people that ran it are going on to other campaigns as strategists?? :rofl:

As these other snips from the article detail, Pennsylvania is a big state with a complex political landscape. Berkell has never worked a campaign here before. With the worsening poll numbers for GOP throughout the country, and Swann's low numbers, I doubt this guy will be able to generate much support or shake much money loose from locals for Swann.

(snips)
The campaign needed to bring in somebody with more experience and to show it was making changes, said a source familiar with the campaign.

Other Republicans, such as Harrisburg-based strategist Charlie Gerow, who is not connected to the campaign, said the hiring looked like a late-hour "Hail Mary" play."The campaign appeared, over the course of the last few weeks, to be turning a corner," Gerow said. "But when they turned the corner, they realized how far they had to go."


Breakell served as director of strategic initiatives for New York Gov. George E. Pataki from 2003-2004. In 2002, he was director of research for Pataki's reelection campaign, and in 1998, he led the political research team for U.S. Sen. Alfonse M. D'Amato (R., N.Y.).

Gerow questioned hiring an out-of-state operative in a state with a complex political landscape such as Pennsylvania. "I have always felt strongly that you need to find people within the state to run campaigns at any level," he said. "They know the lay of the land. The real challenge for the Swann campaign is time is working against them."