McCain General Election Campaign Organization, Texas

McCain General Election Campaign Organization, Texas
updated March 9, 2009

McCain-Palin 2008 >
Regional Headquarters: 6334 S. Racine Circle, Suite 200, Centennial, CO 80111

Regional Campaign Manager (South Central - AR, CO, KS, LA, NE, OK and TX)

Craig Goldman

Candidate for Texas State Representative (Fort Worth HD-97) in the Nov. 6, 2007 special election. Executive director of McCain's Straight Talk America, started Aug. 2005, then executive director on McCain's campaign in California through March or April 2007. Goldman has been in and out of politics. His private sector experience includes vice president of Ronnie's LLC of Ft. Worth, TX, his family’s retail business specializing in fine wines and epicurean foods, for seven years; and head of government relations at InsCap, LLC, an insurance and capital markets start-up company with offices in Nashville and New York. In politics he managed former Los Altos Hills Mayor Toni Casey's campaign for the 2004 Republican U.S. Senate nomination in California. Volunteered as needed on McCain's 2000 campaign. Campaign manager on Rob Mosbacher for mayor of Houston, TX, 1997. Worked for Sen. Phil Gramm for five years, starting in 1991 as assistant to Gramm at the NRSC and working on special projects (Iowa Straw Poll, the Florida GOP Presidency 3 and the Iowa Caucuses) on his 1996 presidential campaign. B.A. in government from the University of Texas in Austin, 1991.

Texas Victory 2008 (a project of the Texas Republican Party) >
900 Congress, Suite 300 Austin, Texas 78701 512.879.4066
EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Chairman

Roger Williams

(July 16, 2007) Served as Texas Secretary of State until resigning effective July 1, 2007.

Executive Director

Bech Bruun

Graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas School of Law.

Senior Advisor/Finance Director

Leanne Ivey

Executive Assistant/Scheduler

Ashley Hester

Victory Voter File Director

Angela Gower

Fundraising

Lilly & Company
Susan Lilly, President

POLITICAL OFFICE

Political Director

K.C. Jones

A regional political director on Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. Campaign manager for Rick O'Donnell's 2006 campaign in Colorado's 7th CD. RNC's 72 Hour Director in Virginia. Deputy Associate Director in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House. Served the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign in Iowa as field director and in Minnesota as deputy executive director. B.A. in government and business from the University of Texas at Austin, 1999.

Regional Field Directors
Central & Northwest Texas - Colby Hale
DFW - Mirand Zepeda
DFW - Emily Cornell
Greater Houston & East Texas - Scott Luther
Greater Houston - Luke Sheffield
South Texas - Thomas Marks

Texas Republican Party | 900 Congress, Suite 300 | Austin, Texas 78701 >

Chairman

Tina J. Benkiser

(since 2003; elected in 2004, 2006 and 2008) Attorney and Counselor at Law in Houston. Prior to election as chair served three terms on the State Republican Executive Committee.

ADMINISTRATION

Executive Director

Eric Opiela

Managing member at Opiela Mixon PLLC law firm in Austin since Jan. 2004. J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, 2002. B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin, 2000.

Organizational Director

Jenny Sykes

Executive Assistant

Candice Wigand

Receptionist

Aurora Johnston

ACCOUNTING

Office Manager

La'Richer Parks

Accountant

Janice Rupert

Compliance Consultant

Susan McClain

POLITICAL AFFAIRS

Director of Communications and Political Operations

Hans Klingler

Consultant at Jim Arnold and Associates, a public affairs consulting firm in Austin. Political director on Rick Perry's 1998 race for lieutenant governor. Worked for Sen. Phil Gramm in several capacities starting in 1994 as West Texas regional director and then on the presidential campaign and as field director on Gramm's 1996 re-election campaign. Legislative aide to several house members during the 1980s and early '90s. B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University.

Research Director

Derek Ryan

Deputy Communications Director

Ashley Heath

Political Assistant

Jamie Mathis

ACCOUNTING

Finance Director

Andrea Antal

Deputy Finance Director

Nikki Burris