November/December 2007
Campaign Cliques
What behind-the-scenes alums might set up shop in the White House in January ’09?
Penny Pritzker
A.B. ’81
Age: 48
Role: National Finance Chair
Day Job: CEO, Classic Residence by Hyatt
Political Chops: A longtime contributor to Democratic candidates.
Best Known For: Selling minority stake in Hyatt for $1 billion.
Inside Track: Pritzker may be motivated by sibling rivalry: Her brother, Jay Robert Pritzker, is a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.
Betsy Myers
MPA ’00
Age: 47
Role: Chief Operating Officer
Political Chops: The first director of the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach under Clinton.
Best Known For: Spearheading Obama’s outreach efforts to women.
Inside Track: Myers’ ability to narrow Clinton’s two-to-one lead among women could determine the outcome of the campaign.
Chris Hughes
A.B. ’06
Age: 23
Role: Online Organizer
Day Job: Product Developer, Facebook (on leave)
Political Chops: None.
Best Known For: Co-founding Facebook with roommate Mark Zuckerberg.
Inside Track: Since joining the campaign in January, Hughes has built an online network with over 80,000 members.
Danielle Gray
J.D. ’03
Age: 29
Role: Deputy Policy Director
Day Job: Litigation Associate, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (on leave) Political Chops: Was a member of Obama’s senate campaign’s staff.
Best Known For: Voted “most likely to be a Supreme Court Justice” by HLS classmates.
Samantha Power
J.D. ’99
Age: 37
Role: Foreign Policy Advisor
Day Job: Anna Lindh Professor, Kennedy School of Government
Political Chops: Foreign policy advisor to former candidate Wesley Clark.
Best Known For: Her Pulitzer-winning book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.
Inside Track: Power might be too outspoken to serve in an administration.
Carlos Monje
A.B. ’00
Age: 29
Role: Deputy Policy Director
Political Chops: Aide to Colorado Senator Ken Salazar; former deputy press secretary to Senator John Edwards.
Best Known For: His work with Salazar to secure $125 million in federal funds for post-Katrina rebuilding.
Inside Track: A New Orleans native, he helped draft Obama’s recovery plan for the city.
Sam Graham Felsen
A.B.’04
Age: 26
Role: Campaign blogger, MyBarackObama.com
Political Chops: A stint at The Nation.
Inside Track: At The Nation, he launched VideoNation, an online feature; Felsen now oversees a video campaign featuring Obama supporters.
Glenn Hubbard
Ph.D ’83
Age: 49
Role: Co-Chair, Economic Advisory Council
Day Job: Dean, Columbia Business School
Political Chops: Former deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury under George H.W. Bush.
Best Known For: His role as chief architect of george w. bush’s tax cuts.
Inside Track: Hubbard was on the short list to replace Greenspan at the Fed.
Meg Whitman
MBA ’79
Age: 51
Role: National Finance Co-Chair
Day Job: CEO, eBay
Political Chops: The billionaire hosts fundraisers for conservative GOPers at her Atherton, Calif., manse.
Best Known For: Helping raise $23 million for her former Bain colleague in the first quarter of 2007.
Inside Track: Said to be on Romney’s veep short list.
Tagg Romney
MBA ’98
Age: 37
Role: Son
Day Job: Chief Marketing Officer, Los Angeles Dodgers (resigned)
Political Chops: Worked on Dad’s gubernatorial campaign and managed Kerry Healey’s 2002 run for lieutenant governor.
Best Known For: Traveling around the country with brothers Matt, Josh, Ben, and Craig in a Winnebago; keeping a blog called “Five Brothers” on MittRomney.com.
Inside Track: By their presence alone, the Romney sons remind voters that Rudy Giuliani’s children are estranged from their father.
Katie Biber Chen
J.D. ’04
Age: 29
Role: General Counsel
Day Job: Election Law Attorney, Patton Boggs (on leave)
Political Chops: Press secretary for John Ashcroft, legal staffer on Bush/Cheney ’04
Best Known For: Her sure-handed selection of Romney’s judicial advisory committee.
Inside Track: Romney turned to GOP troubleshooter and Patton Boggs lawyer Ben Ginsberg for a star, and Ginsberg recommended Chen.
Lanhee Chen
A.B. ’99, A.M. ’04, J.D. ’07
Age: 29
Role: Domestic Policy Director
Day Job: Associate, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (on leave)
Political Chops: Fellow, Heritage foundation; health policy advisor, Bush/Cheney ’04
Best Known For: His role crafting Romney’s healthcare plan.
Inside Track: Chen, frequently the youngest in meetings, is often the most articulate and best dressed.
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