People in the news

Angela Sailor

Coalitions Director, Republican National Committee (since February 2009)

(Republican National
Committee)

Why She Matters

When Michael Steele stormed into the Republican National Committee (RNC) chairmanship in January 2009, he vowed to bring "something completely different" to the Grand Old Party. Steele, the RNC's first African-American chairman, acknowledged his party's "image problem" and quickly set his sights on making the GOP younger and more diverse. One of Steele's first acts as chairman was to hire Sailor.

On Feb. 26, 2009, Sailor was named director of the RNC's coalitions department, an office charged with evaluating "every outside constituent organization in the country at the local, state and national levels." The department is integral to fulfilling Steele's goal to reach out to minority voting groups on a full-time basis, not just during election season. It also strives to connect to young voters through social media, and trains grassroots activists to use new media to advance the GOP's agenda.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Partner at Watts Partners lobbying firm (2004-February 2009); deputy chief of staff to the Secretary of Education (2002-2004); associate director of the White House Office of Public Liaison (2000-2002)
Birthday: February 24, 1968
Hometown: Detroit, Mich.
Alma Mater: University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, j.d., 1999; American University, master's in broadcast journalism & public affairs, 1996; Central State College, B.A., in communications, 1990

Spouse: Elroy
Email : N/A
Web site

Path to Power

Sailor was born Angela Scott in Detroit on Feb. 24, 1968. Her parents divorced, and she was raised by her mother, a university professor and administrator. That career moved Sailor to several college towns during her childhood, including Ann Arbor, Mich., and Gainesville, Fla. It was her "adopted father," an engineer and pastor, who "formally introduced" her to the Republican Party when she was just nine, Sailor said. Through him, she learned "the importance of civic participation and its relationship to free enterprise" in a lesson Sailor said she'd later connect to the GOP's conservative message.

In 1990, Sailor earned an undergraduate communications degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. After college, she worked at WGTZ-FM in Dayton, where she was an overnight disc jockey known on the air as "Janet From Another Planet."

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Sailor went on to hold various positions in broadcasting and the corporate realm, including marketing jobs with Procter & Gamble and BET, and freelance production work with Fox morning news in Washington.

Sailor earned a master's degree in broadcast journalism and public affairs from American University in 1996.

Political Career

Sailor's first political job was as a staffer for then-Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.), a post she held while earning her law degree from the University of Memphis. After working a few government jobs in Michigan, including a stint in the legal department of longtime Gov. John Engler (R), Sailor was named RNC director of African-American affairs in 1999, where she was in charge of reaching out to black voters during George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.

Bush White House

When Bush entered the White House in January 2001, Sailor went with him. She served as the associate director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, where she focused on domestic policy affecting African-Americans and senior citizens. In 2002, she became deputy chief of staff to Roderick Paige, the first African-American secretary of education.

Sailor headed back to the private sector in 2004, when she became a partner at Watts Consulting Group, a Washington lobbying firm co-founded by her husband, Elroy Sailor. Sailor left the firm in February 2009 when Steele recruited her as RNC coalitions director.

Hiring Controversy

Sailor's hiring reportedly rankled some GOP leaders. About a week after she was named director of coalitions, representatives from seven Hispanic groups sent a letter to Steele saying they were "extremely disheartened that no Hispanics were considered" for Sailor's job. The letter didn't question Sailor's qualifications, nor did it mention her by name. An RNC spokeswoman explained to Politico that the committee was still in the process of filling positions within the department. In June 2009, the RNC hired Nicaragua-native Manuel "Manny" A. Rosales to be Sailor's second-in-command.

The generous compensation of some RNC officials under Steele also seemed to touch a nerve with some rank-and-file Republicans. The Washington Times reported that Sailor was given a $180,000 salary - more than twice what her predecessor was paid. Hawaii Republican Party Chairman Willis Lee told the Times that sort of money was "way out of line for what staff should be paid for working for a political party."

Sailor has called both criticisms "absurd" and chalked them up to "ridiculous, inside-the-Beltway" mudslinging perpetrated by opponents of Steele's agenda.

The Issues

The core mission of the RNC's Coalitions Department is simple: lure new voters while retaining old ones. But with a conservative base whose priorities may differ from those of many minority and young voters - both are groups Steele is targeting - that could be a task easier said than done.

One thing Republicans learned in 2008 is that voters aren't afraid to split their tickets and vote on a candidate-by-candidate basis, Sailor said.

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The Network

Sailor's boss during the 2008 and 2010 elections cycle was RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who recruited her back to the party committee from the private sector and elevated the role of coalitions director in a stepped-up campaign to reach minority communities. Steele was ousted in 2011 and replaced by newcomer Reince Preibus.

In 2002, Angela and Elroy Sailor were dubbed a "D.C. Power Couple" by JET magazine. Elroy Sailor is currently the CEO of Watts Partners, the lobbying firm he co-founded with former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.). The company's web site bills it as "the largest African-American owned lobbying company in Washington, D.C."

Additional Resources