Tad Devine

Devine is considered one of the leading experts on the Democratic Party's presidential nominating process[6] and general election strategy.[7] In 1980, he worked on President Jimmy Carter's reelection campaign as a delegate tracker.[8] He went on to serve as Deputy Director of Delegate Selection in the nomination campaign of former Vice President Walter Mondale and Executive Assistant to the Campaign Manager in the 1984 general election.[9] [10]

From 1987-88, he served as Director of Delegate Selection and Field Operations in the nomination campaign of Governor Michael Dukakis. In 1992, Devine served as a member of the Democratic Party Rules Committee and was a consultant to CBS News throughout the Democratic National Convention in New York. As lead negotiator for the Dukakis campaign at the 1988 Rules Committee, Devine was involved in the Democratic party's 1988 reform that eliminated winner take all methods of delegate selection and established proportional representation as the exclusive system of delegate allocation in the Democratic Party.[11][12]

In the general election of 1988, Devine got his start managing national campaigns when he served as Campaign Manager for the Vice Presidential nominee, Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas.[13] In 1992, Devine served as Campaign Manager for Senator Bob Kerrey's campaign for President.[14][15]

In the 2000 general election, Devine served as a senior strategist to the Gore/Lieberman campaign and oversaw the day-to-day management of the campaign.[16] Devine was recruited by Carter Eskew to join the campaign part-time in August 1999. In the fall of 1999 and early months of 2000, he was sent occasionally to Gore's campaign headquarters in Nashville as a trouble shooter when Gore was looking for an AFL-CIO endorsement and during the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. In the late spring and early summer of 2000, Devine shifted into a more central role in the campaign. He was recognized not only as a "fierce campaigner", but also as a "mediator among some of the factions that developed within the Gore campaign."[17] Upon his elevation, Devine helped put Democrats, who were nervous about Gore's success in the primary election against Bill Bradley, at ease. Devine, unlike other Gore advisers, suggested taking on Bradley by questioning his credentials as a Democrat. He also used his extensive knowledge of the Democratic party rules to help ensure Gore's victory in the primary by lobbying members of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee to disallow any primaries in the five weeks between New Hampshire and Super Tuesday. His aim was to minimize Bradley's political momentum should he win the New Hampshire primary and maximize the effect a New Hampshire loss would have. Devine was also willing to put himself in the role of the contrarian, occasionally questioning Gore's recommendations and telling him when his opinion differed.[18]

In 2003 and 2004, Devine served as a senior adviser and strategist to Senator John Kerry's campaign for President in both the primary and the general election.[19] His elevation to a senior strategic role coincided with Senator Kerry's turn around in late 2003, and Devine remained in a senior role throughout the remainder of the campaign. He frequently represented the campaign on national television programs such as Meet the Press, C-SPAN, Face the Nation and other broadcasts.[20][21]

Devine worked as chief campaign strategist for the Democratic primary campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders from 2015 until its suspension in 2016.[22]

In 2019, Devine began working for the Democratic primary campaign of entrepreneur Andrew Yang until its suspension in 2020. [23]

Since early 1993, Devine has worked as a media consultant, writing, directing and producing television and radio advertising for leading Democratic candidates in the U.S. and providing strategic advice for national campaigns in Europe, the Middle East and South America. Devine has worked on the winning campaigns of New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine in 2005, and several campaigns of senators, including Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Bill Nelson (FL), Bernie Sanders (VT), John Kerry (MA) and the DSCC independent expenditure for the winning senate races of Claire McCaskill (MO) and Robert Menendez (NJ), as well as numerous statewide elections. Devine's work as a strategist and media consultant has been recognized by leading media and political consulting organizations. Devine has produced award-winning television advertising for Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA), Sen. John Edwards (NC), and Gov. Parris Glendening (MD).

Internationally, Devine has worked as a strategist and media consultant for the winning campaigns of Colombian President Andres Pastrana in 1998, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 1999, Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo in 2001, Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada in 2002, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 1997, 2002 and 2007, Honduran President Mel Zelaya in 2005, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Party of Regions in 2006. Working closely with former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort (now a subject of the Mueller investigation of Trump's alleged coordination with Russia during his 2016 presidential campaign), Devine worked again with Yanukovych in 2009 and 2010 for his successful Presidential bid.[24] He served as a strategist and media consultant for Ashraf Ghani's 2009 presidential campaign in Afghanistan.[25]

In 2007, Devine joined with Julian Mulvey to form Devine Mulvey, a US and international political consulting firm offering strategic and communications advice to clients across the globe. Leading political organizations have recognized their work with several awards including best Internet ad in 2008 and best statewide ad in 2009. Devine Mulvey has multiple received Reed Awards from Campaigns and Elections Magazine, and multiple Pollie awards from the American Association of Political Consultants.[26][27]

In 2013, Mark Longabaugh joined the firm to form Devine Mulvey Longabaugh.

On August 31, Devine was the first witness for the prosecution at the federal trial of Paul Manafort in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. PAUL J. MANAFORT, JR., CASE NO. 1:18-CR-83-TSE.[28] [29]

At trial, Devine was questioned by prosecutors about his work with Manafort as a media consultant for the 2010 presidential campaign of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Devine reportedly stopped working for Yanukovych after his government's arrest of Yulia Tymoshenko in 2011. However, in 2014, he continued to negotiate with Manafort and Rick Gates to return as a consultant to a new European Union political party in Ukraine.[30]