Ken Spain

Communications Director, National Republican Congressional Committee (since January 2009)

(Ken Spain)

Why He Matters

As communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Spain attempts to craft winning messages for Republican candidates throughout the country.

The NRCC's goal is to elect or re-elect Republicans to the House. Spain, who worked on Republican congressional campaigns as well as on the 2004 George W. Bush re-election campaign, collaborates with Republican candidates, incumbents and House leadership to engage in message battles at the local and national levels.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: National Press Secretary, National Republican Congressional Committee (February 2007 to December 2008); Communications Director, Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) (June 2006 to February 2007); Deputy Chief of Staff, Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.) (January 2005 to June 2006)
Birthday: March 21, 1979
Hometown: Whittier, Calif.
Alma Mater: University of california at Santa Barbara, B.A. (American history), 2001

Spouse: Emily Kryder
Office: 320 First Street SEWashington, DC 20003(202) 479-7000
Web site

Path to Power

Spain grew up in Whittier, Calif., a suburb just southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

He attended the University of California in Santa Barbara, about 100 miles up the coast from his hometown.

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At UCSB, Spain studied American history. An avid sports fan, he wrote a few articles for the school's newspaper, The Daily Nexus, before graduating in 2001.

Spain said he considered getting a Ph.D. in American history, but instead went into politics.

Spain began at the state level in 2002, working in the district office for California state Sen. Bob Margett (R), who represented a string of suburbs to the north and east of downtown Los Angeles.

He left Margett's office two year later to work on national campaigns.

Texas Races

Spain then went to Texas, where he helped Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.) win the 2004 Republican primary to represent the newly-created 11th district. The heavily-Republican district centered on George W. Bush's hometown of Midland. Spain was Conaway's deputy campaign manager as well as the campaign's spokesman through the March primary.

Spain then moved over to Austin, Tex., where another heavily-Republican new district, Texas's 10th, had resulted in a Republican primary run-off. Spain was a grassroots coordinator for Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), who won the crowded GOP primary, and went on to win the election.

In April 2004, Spain signed on to George W. Bush's 2004 presidential re-election campaign. He spent the rest of the 2004 campaign season as the Bush team's press secretary in the crucial swing state of New Mexico.

Capitol Hill Aide

After Bush's re-election, Spain moved to Washington, D.C., signing on as Rep. Conaway's deputy chief of staff.

In July 2006, Spain moved to Rep. John Shadegg's (R-Ariz.) office as communications director, where he handled national and local press for the congressman.

He replaced the departing Michael Steel, who is now spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

National Republican Congressional Committee

Spain joined the NRCC as press secretary in March 2007, reporting to then-Communications Director Jessica Boulanger.

In December 2008, he was named NRCC communications director heading into the 2010 election cycle with Republicans playing defense.

The Issues

As head of NRCC communications, Spain leads a ten-person team to develop messages for Republican incumbents and challengers throughout the country. Spain and the national team collaborate with regional press secretaries to advise candidates on communications strategy, brief them on issues, help them prepare for debates and try to keep their Democrat rivals "on the defensive," Spain said.

"Working at a campaign committee is unlike any other job in Washington," Spain said (Interview with WhoRunsGov). His messages have to appeal to three distinct audiences: the candidates and their staffs, members of Congress and their staffs, and the Washington lobbying community, which helps raise money for the NRCC and individual Republican candidates.

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Spain works closely with all three groups to craft messages that will help Republicans win House seats across the country.

Rapid-Response

Often, winning means capitalizing on even the smallest opportunity to get press. "We are always looking to move the ball forward," Spain said.

In the 2008 campaign cycle, Spain was assigned to help Republican incumbent Dave Reichert hold onto Washington's 8th district against Democratic candidate Darcy Burner. As the election neared, Republican fact-checkers discovered that while Burner claimed to have an economics degree from Harvard, her degree was actually in computer science, and within that she concentrated in economics.

Spain jumped into action. "I fed the story to a Seattle Times reporter who went up with the story the same day," he said. "The story appeared in a Reichert campaign ad that turned out to be the knockout blow in the final days of the campaign."

New Media

As chief of staff to Conaway, Spain was an early entrant into the world of political blogging. As an early adopter, Spain and his team had to forge their own path in figuring out how, what and when to blog. ()

"The power of blogs and social media allows for candidates and members of congress to have an unfiltered conversation with the voters," Spain said.

Spain encourages the candidates he advises to make use of any new media to connect with voters. "A good communications person should always be looking for new ways to penetrate the news cycle," he said.

"Whether it's Twitter, Facebook, or any other form of social media, it doesn't come without its pitfalls," he said, referencing some recent gaffes by tweeting lawmakers. "But I believe there is an upside to it, particularly for an up-start candidate."

Policy Influence

Spain team doesn't just work on elections. They'll often step into the fray on major policy debates, Spain said.

In 2009, the team became involved in the debate over a House climate bill to regulate carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade program. "For weeks we blitzed targeted Democrats with press releases, and paid advertisements," Spain recalled.

"Forty-four Democrats ultimately took a walk on the bill and it scraped by with a very narrow majority, thus casting a lot of doubt on the future prospects of the legislation in the Senate."

The Network

As the man behind communications for House Republican campaigns, Spain has worked with key Republican members of Congress.

He works especially closely with House Republican leaders and their staffs, including House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), and even his old boss, Deputy Minority Whip Mike Conaway (R-Texas).

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Additional Resources