Chris LaCivita is a Republican political strategist. LaCivita is the president of Advancing Strategies, LLC and a partner at FP1 Strategies, LLC. ¹

Chris LaCivita worked as co-campaign manager for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, ran the Preserve America PAC during Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign, and was the chief strategist of the Trump-associated super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. ²

Career

Chris LaCivita is a former U.S. Marine who was awarded a Purple Heart in 1991 after serving and suffering wounds in the Persian Gulf War. Following his service, LaCivita became a Republican political strategist, working on both local and federal campaigns, including the 2016 presidential bid of U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). LaCivita began working as a consultant for the Republican National Committee in 2016 after Senator Paul dropped out of the 2016 presidential race. In 2022, LaCivita worked on the re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI). ²

LaCivita has also worked on the campaigns of former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), the campaigns of former U.S. Representative Scott Rigell (R-VA), and the 2014 re-election campaign of former U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS). ³

Super PACs

Chris LaCivita organized and oversaw the Preserve America PAC, which was registered with the Federal Election Commission in 2020. ⁴ Preserve America was largely funded by the late megadonor Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam, who contributed $90 million in support of then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election campaign. ⁵

Before joining Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign as co-campaign manager, LaCivita worked as a strategist for Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.), a super PAC established in 2022 to support former President Trump’s political efforts. ²  MAGA Inc.’s largest contributions came from megadonor Timothy Mellon ($150 million), America First Policies ($20.25 million), and the Hendricks Holding Company ($15 million). In total, MAGA Inc. raised over $273 million in 2024. ⁶

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

Chris LaCivita worked as an adviser to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) (later called Swift Vets and POWs for Truth), a political advocacy organization that criticized the Vietnam War record of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and then-U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA). ² SBVT, which ceased operations on May 31, 2008, claimed that Kerry misrepresented his own and his fellow officers’ actions while serving on Swift boats in Vietnam, resulting in Kerry receiving undeserved medals. SBVT further claims that Kerry lied before the U.S. Congress regarding the conduct and portrayal of fellow service personnel, thereby damaging the U.S. war effort, endangering American prisoners of war, and dishonoring those who were injured or lost their lives in the line of service. The view of SBVT was that these alleged deceits made Kerry unfit to serve as U.S. President. ⁷

Political Contributions

In the 2024 election cycle, Chris LaCivita contributed $6,457 to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, $2,602 to Republican Brian Jack’s U.S. House of Representatives campaign in Georgia, and $250 to the Safari International Club PAC. ⁸

In previous years, LaCivita has contributed to the campaigns of Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Virginia state legislator Nick Freitas, former U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), unsuccessful candidate for Missouri Attorney General Ed Martin (MO), former U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt (R-VA), former U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA), unsuccessful House of Representatives candidate Jesse Kelly, unsuccessful House of Representatives candidate Bradley Jewitt, and former U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA). ⁸

1. “Chris LaCivita.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lacivita-550117238/.
2. “Who are Trump’s top presidential campaign aides?” Reuters, February 1, 2024. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/who-are-trumps-top-presidential-campaign-aides-2024-02-01/.
3. “Chris LaCivita.” Ballotpedia. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Chris_LaCivita.
4. Nixon, Sydney. “Preserve America PAC.” Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.factcheck.org/2020/09/preserve-america-pac/.
5. Isenstadt, Alex. “GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson to fund colossal super PAC for Trump.” Politico, May 30, 2024. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/30/miriam-adelson-republican-trump-super-pac-preserve-america-00160660.
6. “Top Organizations Disclosing Donations to Make America Great Again Inc, 2024.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2024?cmte=C00825851&tab=donors.
7. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Swift Vets and POWs for Truth. Accessed November 17, 2024. http://horse.he.net/~swiftpow/index.php?topic=FAQ.
8. “Donor Search: Chris LaCivita.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/search?order=desc&q=Chris+LaCivita&sort=D&type=donors.