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Kevin Madden (born March 2, 1972) is an American pundit or
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...
professional in newspapers and magazines and appears regularly on television news and
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
s, largely on cable news programming in the United States. He was a senior
advisor An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and usually also includes persons with cross-functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role is that of a mentor or guide and differs categor ...
to and
spokesman A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
for Mitt Romney's 2012 U.S. presidential campaign.


Professional history

After graduating from college in 1994, Madden went to work for the
Yonkers City Council The Yonkers City Council is the legislative branch of the city of Yonkers, New York. and uses a strong Mayor-Council government. The city elects six councilmen, each serving four year terms and an at-large member which is called the City Council ...
, working for Councilman Carlo DiNota. He soon became the spokesman for family friend John Spencer's successful 1996
Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...
mayoral
campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...
."New DeLay spokesman at ease in a battle zone" by Samantha Levine, ''Houston Chronicle'', August 8, 2005
Retrieved 2012-08-29
/ref> After helping Spencer win re-election, Madden moved to
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and, beginning in 2001, became senior policy advisor and chief spokesman for Congressman
John E. Sweeney John Edward Sweeney (born August 9, 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New York. A Republican, he represented New York's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 1999 to January ...
."Class Notes: Class of 1992", ''Morrisville State College Alumni News, Vol 79, Issue 02'', Winter 2005, page 5
Retrieved 2012-08-29, Approx 1.9MB download
 By the mid 2000s, Madden had had several public relations positions for Republicans in federal government, including as
press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dut ...
for House Republican leadership (including then-
Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.
Tom DeLay Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1985 until 2006. He was Republic ...
and then-Majority Leader John Boehner); as
press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a fam ...
spokesman for the George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004; and as one of a handful of national spokespersons and Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the
George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
."Arena Profile: Kevin Madden", ''Politico'', 2012
Retrieved 2012-08-29
/ref>"Kevin Madden to Join The Glover Park Group Public Affairs Practice", Glover Park Group press release, June 18, 2008
Retrieved 2012-08-29
 In 2003, the ''
Irish Voice The ''Irish Voice'' is a newspaper published in New York City, New York. It focuses on news and stories from an Irish-American perspective. The paper was first published in the fall of 1987 and was targeted at new Irish immigrants who were movin ...
'' described Madden's growing stature in the GOP as "further proof of the heavy influence New York Irish Americans have in the Republican party". By 2006, '' U.S. News & World Report'' referred to Madden as "battle-tested", and alluded to each of his high-profile public relations organizations (first for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and then for House Republican leadership) as "a lean operation, an intense focus, and a positive message"."Romney's Hiring Whirlwind Snags Madden", ''U.S.News: Washington Whispers'', November 29, 2006
Retrieved 2012-08-29
/ref> Madden began working for Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign in 2007, soon with the joint titles 'National Press Secretary' and 'Senior Communications Strategist'. Although John McCain won the Republican (GOP) nomination, a ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' discussion of Romney's unsuccessful 2008 primary campaign noted, "his
media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...
operation CANNOT rank among the problems. Anchored by Kevin Madden -- a savvy and telegenic GOP spokesman -- the press shop was hard-working, well-organized and quick-off-the-mark." Also discussing the 2008 campaigns, ''
The Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant pop ...
'' opined that Madden (and
Matt Rhoades Matthew “Matt” Rhoades (born February 3, 1975) is an American political and Politics, public affairs consultant. He is cited as a pioneer in messaging through less conventional outlets, such as the Drudge Report, and influencing the public ima ...
) "have built the most sophisticated of all the press operations... Madden, in particular, is genuinely liked and respected by the press". The following election cycle, Kevin Madden joined Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. As Romney was securing the nomination in July 2012, ''
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
'' described Madden as "a face of the campaign" and as "a more visible member of the candidate's campaign staff". In August 2012, ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' reported that "Romney is hardly preoccupied with his transition just yet – but...Kevin Madden, traveling spokesman on the campaign plane, would be expected to be named White House spokesman". Following Romney's 2012 loss, Madden pointed to immigration in particular as "a missed opportunity for Romney". Between the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, Madden was hired as a Managing Director with The Glover Park Group, a public affairs firm in Washington D.C., before joining Charleston, South Carolina public affairs firm JDA Frontline in March 2010 to launch and direct their Washington, DC operations. Following the 2012 elections, Madden resumed daily responsibilities as JDA's 'Executive Vice President of Public Affairs'.


Media appearances

Kevin Madden has appeared on dozens of episodes of many political discussion programs on American cable news programs. His profile at a speaker agency states: "Madden is regularly called upon to serve as a commentator on the media and politics on network news shows as well as
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, Fox News Channel,
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...
,
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
,
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and m ...
and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
among others. He has also published political commentary in exclusive venues, such as the opinion sections of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' and ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''." Appearances include: ''
Hardball with Chris Matthews ''Hardball with Chris Matthews'' was an American television talk show that was hosted by Chris Matthews. The program premiered on the now-defunct America's Talking network in 1994 (as ''Politics with Chris Matthews'') before moving on CNBC, and t ...
'', ''
Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles ...
'', ''Verdict with Dan Abrams'', '' The Situation Room'',"The Spokespundits" by Howard Kurtz, ''The Washington Post'', July 28, 2008
Retrieved 2012-08-29
/ref> ''
Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television news/interview program broadcast on NBC. It is the longest-running program on American television, though the current format bears little resemblance to the debut episode on November 6, 1947. ' ...
'' and '' Morning Joe'' Madden appeared in the 2008
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
'' The Return of the War Room'', a sequel to '' The War Room'', a 1993 documentary about the 1992 U.S. presidential election. In April 2013, ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' reported that Kevin Madden was being considered for the proposed relaunch of
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
's ''
Crossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. S ...
''; the program had been off the air since 2005.


Personal life

Madden alludes to his childhood in
Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...
, when he describes himself as "A simple city boy – you might say a cockeyed optimist – mixed up in the high stakes game of world diplomacy and international intrigue...." ''U.S. News'' referred to Madden as "a
Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
fan" and an "
Irishman The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been c ...
"; his County Galway-born father and
County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retai ...
-born mother"Bush Taps Son of Yonkers" by Tom Deignan, ''Irish Voice'', August 19, 2003
Retrieved 2012-10-07
emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
d from
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in the early 1960s."Careers in Politics: Kevin Madden", C-SPAN, May 14, 2009
Retrieved 2012-08-29
 Madden told the ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...
'' that his father, an auto mechanic, read three newspapers each Sunday and enjoyed discussing news and politics; he told ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'', "I grew up in a household where it was a sin to sit in silence without an opinion.... Makes sense that I went into politics, my sister chose journalism, and my brother is a lawyer." Raised as a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, Madden attended and was graduated from a
parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parishes, in religion ** Parish churches, also called parochial churches * Parochial schools, primary or secondary schools affiliated to a religious organisation * Parochialism Parochialism is the ...
Roman Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...
, then from
Morrisville State College State University of New York at Morrisville (formerly Morrisville State College) or SUNY Morrisville is a public college with two locations in New York, one in Morrisville and one in Norwich. It is part of the State University of New York syst ...
in 1992, and earned an
undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher e ...
in communication studies from the
State University of New York at Cortland State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
in 1994. On November 22, 2003, Madden married Jaclyn Norris (of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
), then legislative director for Congressman
Ric Keller Richard Anthony "Ric" Keller (born September 5, 1964) is an American politician, author, and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 8th congressional district from 2001 to 2009. His district included much of the Central Flori ...
and former intern for Senator
Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...
; '' Harper's Magazine'' described Norris as "strikingly beautiful". Norris continued employment in a range of
Congressional staff Congressional staff are employees of the United States Congress or individual members of Congress. History Before the American Civil War, members of Congress did not have staff assistance or even offices, and "most members worked at their desks ...
assignments until 2007. By 2010, the couple had three sons. Several reports from Romney's 2008 campaign repeat an anecdote from November 2007, describing Madden's then twenty-month-old son "strutting about with a
Blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...
, jabbering nonsense and punching away at the keys. "I was so heartbroken," addenquipped... "I wanted my kid to be a football star, not a national press secretary."" Madden cites his "
pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respon ...
" identification as one reason for his affiliation as a Republican.


Accolades

In a 2008 article about several
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
communications professionals, the UK's ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' noted, "Madden, in particular, is genuinely liked and respected". Also in 2008, the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'' stated, "Madden attracts comments about his matinee-idol looks." In 2006, '' The Hill'', a newspaper focusing on Congress, ranked Kevin Madden as second on their "50 Most Beautiful" list, an honor Madden himself compared with "sitting in a
dunk tank A dunk tank, also known as a dunking booth or dunking machine, is a common feature at Canadian and American fairs, fundraisers, and celebrations. It consists of a huge water tank with a volunteer sitting on a collapsible bench above. When the ...
for a year". Despite Madden's work for right-leaning Republicans, even those leaning left such as ''
The Raw Story ''Raw Story'' (also stylized as ''RawStory'') is an American progressive news website. It was founded in 2004 by John K. Byrne and is owned by Byrne and Michael Rogers. History Byrne, the former editor-in-chief of ''The Oberlin Review'', ...
'' columnist and editor Megan Carpentier have opined, "There's no denying he's pretty.""Decision 2008: The Top Ten Campaign Objects Of Our Affection" by Megan Carpentier, ''Jezebel.com'', October 27, 2008
Retrieved 2012-08-29
/ref> When
Howard Kurtz Howard Alan Kurtz (; born August 1, 1953) is an American journalist and author best known for his coverage of the media. Kurtz is the host of Fox News's '' Media Buzz'' program, the successor to ''Fox News Watch''. He is the former media writer f ...
asked Madden about his looks in 2008, Madden replied, "I'm married and have two boys. My wife wants to make sure I mention that more often."


Criticism of Sarah Palin

In a television interview days before the November 2008 election, Madden pointed at a
wardrobe A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that separate accommo ...
matter as "an indication just how unseasoned Sarah Palin is as a national candidate"; ''
TownHall.com Townhall is an American politically conservative website, print magazine and radio news service. Previously published by The Heritage Foundation, it is now owned and operated by Salem Communications. The website features more than 80 columns (b ...
'' characterized Madden's comments as "trashing" and "particularly harsh on Palin", the GOP's
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
ial nominee for the 2008 election. Also during her 2008 campaign,
Erick Erickson Erick Woods Erickson (born June 3, 1975) is a conservative American radio host and blogger. He hosts a three-hour weekday talk show on WSB 95.5 FM and 750 AM in Atlanta, which is syndicated to other radio stations around the U.S. He also write ...
claimed "one of the biggest pushers of anti-Palin stories...was Romney spokeshack Kevin Madden"."The Romneybot Attack on Sarah Palin", ''Blog: Confessions of a Political Junkie'' by Erick Erickson, October 28, 2008
Retrieved 2012-08-29
/ref>


Footnotes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Madden, Kevin 1972 births American people of Irish descent American political consultants American public relations people CNN people George W. Bush 2004 presidential campaign Living people Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign Morrisville State College alumni New York (state) Republicans People associated with the 2004 United States presidential election People associated with the 2008 United States presidential election People associated with the 2012 United States presidential election People from Yonkers, New York Spokespersons State University of New York at Cortland alumni