Stuart Stevens

Stuart Stevens is an American travel writer and political consultant. He was the cofounder of Washington, D.C. - based political media consultancy Stevens & Schriefer Group (with Russell Schriefer). In 2013, he became a founding partner in Strategic Partners & Media, the consulting firm with the best record in statewide races. He served as a top strategist for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Early life

Stevens, who is from Jackson, Mississippi, grew up in the Southern United States in the 1960s. He felt that the Democratic Party members he knew consisted predominantly of "good ol' boy" segregationists. He chose instead to join the Republican Party. He attended Colorado College, Middlebury College, Pembroke College, Oxford, and UCLA Film School. Stevens is an extreme sports enthusiast who participates in triathlons, has completed the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, and once skied the last 100 miles to the North Pole.

Political career

Beginning his political career in his native Mississippi, Stevens worked on Thad Cochran’s campaigns and has gone on to help elect more governors and US Senators than any other current Republican media consultant. Stevens worked for Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign and was part of George W. Bush's media team in 2000 and 2004. His book The Big Enchilada is a chronicle of Bush's 2000 campaign. He and Russell Schriefer had worked for John McCain's campaign in the 2008 election, but changed their allegiance to Mitt Romney in July 2007.