Karl Rove
Rove was the architect of George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns and, from 2001 to 2007, the president’s senior advisor and deputy chief of staff. Of Rove, columnist Michael Barone said, “No presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.” Prior to the 2000 campaign, he was the president of Karl Rove + Company, an Austin, Texas-based public affairs firm whose campaign clients included 74 candidates for governor, Senate, and Congress in 24 states.