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Person

Karl Rove

Nationality:

American
Born:

December 25, 1950
Occupation(s):

Political Operative and Commentator

Former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush

Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy

Founder, American Crossroads, Crossroads GPS

Member, American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame

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Karl Rove is a Republican political operative and political commentator who was a senior advisor to President George W. Bush as a candidate and in the White House from 2000 through 2007. 1 As a political strategist, Rove was called “The Architect” of President Bush’s victories in the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. 1 During the George W. Bush administration, critics referred to Rove as “Bush’s Brain.” 2

During Bush’s second presidential term, Democrats alleged that Rove had a role in leaking the name of Valarie Plame, a Central Intelligence Agency employee. 3 Bush administration Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was later found to have been the leaker. 4

After leaving the Bush administration, Rove co-founded American Crossroads, a 527 political action committee, and the advocacy group Crossroads GPS. 5 He is a frequent commentator on political talk shows and writes a column for the Wall Street Journal on American politics. 6

Early Life

Karl Rove was born on December 25, 1950 in Denver, Colorado. His family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he became the president of the student senate at Olympus High School. 7

Rove attended the University of Utah but did not get a degree. 2

In 1971, Rove became the executive director of the national College Republicans. In 1973, he ran for and won the office of chairman for College Republicans. 2 However, his victory was contested when two warring factions in the College Republicans emerged claiming a different winner. The decision was left to then-Republican National Committee Chairman George H.W. Bush, who determined Rove won fairly. 7

In 1986 Rove married Darby Hickson, a graphic designer who worked for his company. 7

Political Consulting

Karl Rove worked on the unsuccessful U.S. House campaign of George W. Bush in 1978 in Texas. 2 Also in 1978, Rove worked on the successful gubernatorial campaign of Bill Clements, Texas’s first Republican governor after Reconstruction. 2

In 1981, Rove became the founder and president of Karl Rove + Company, an Austin-based political firm that worked for Republican candidates and nonprofit groups. 1 7

Rove’s clients included more than 75 Republican U.S. Senate candidates, U.S. House candidates, and gubernatorial candidates across 24 states. His firm also worked for candidates of the Moderate Party of Sweden, that country’s party of the mainstream right. 1

During the 1980s, Rove’s consulting firm worked for the campaigns of Phil Gramm, elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984, and Tom Phillips, who became the joint-first Republican elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1988. 2

In 1990, Rove helped manage the successful campaigns of Rick Perry to be state agriculture secretary, and Kay Bailey Hutchison to become state treasurer. Hutchinson would be elected to the U.S. Senate in a 1993 special election, with the help of Rove. Perry was later elected lieutenant governor and assumed the governorship in 2001 when George W. Bush resigned the office after being elected president. 7

Rove reportedly strongly encouraged Bush to run for governor of Texas against incumbent Democrat Ann Richards in 1994. Bush won that election, and Rove also managed Bush’s re-election campaign in 1998. 7

George W. Bush Administration

Karl Rove was a senior advisor to President George W. Bush as a candidate and in the White House from 2000 through 2007. 1 As a political strategist, Rove was called “The Architect” of Bush’s victories in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. 1 The day after he won his second term in November 2004, Bush said thanks to “the architect,” in reference to Rove. 7 During the Bush administration, critics referred to Rove as “Bush’s Brain.” 2

From 2004 through 2007, Rove was the deputy White House chief of staff for policy. 1 While working for the George W. Bush White House, Rove oversaw the White House offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, and Intergovernmental Affairs. 1

During Rove’s ascendancy, then-U.S. News and World Report columnist Michael Barone, author of the Almanac of American Politics, said of Rove that “no presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.” 8

During Bush’s second presidential term, Democrats alleged that Rove had a role in leaking the name of Valarie Plame, a Central Intelligence Agency employee. Plame’s husband, Joe Wilson, publicly accused Rove of the leak to retaliate for a critical New York Times op-ed that he wrote about Bush’s justification for the Iraq War. 3 Bush administration Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was later found to have been the leaker. 4

Post-White House Political Activity

After leaving the George W. Bush administration, Rove is the co-founded American Crossroads along with former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie and and the advocacy group Crossroads GPS. 5

Though he had been an occasional critic of President Donald Trump, Rove advised President Trump’s unsuccessful 2020 re-election campaign. 9

In February 2024, Rove spoke at the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival in California where he commented that former President Trump should not have talked about pardoning the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol rioters. He then said: “It is a mistake on the part of the Trump campaign to allow the president’s impulses to identify himself with the people who assaulted the Capitol rather than people who stand for law and order.” 10

In October 2024, the video clip was played on social media with the false claim that it was a recent comment while in Pennsylvania, and an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, President Trump’s Democratic opponent. The post said, “Former Bush aid Karl Rove rallying for Harris in PA.” 10 In response, he posted on X (formerly Twitter): “It’s amazing what people come up with and what they’ll fall for. I have not been in Pennsylvania since September when I gave a speech to folks in the healthcare industry. I have not been rallying for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania or anywhere else nor organizing any state for her.” 10

Media Career

After the George W. Bush administration, Rove became a media pundit and writes a weekly column for the Wall Street Journal and has been a Fox News contributor. 1

Rove is the author of The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters and Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight. 11

Rove has also written for various publications including the Daily Beast, Financial Times, Forbes, FoxNews.com, HumanEvents.com, Newsweek, The Times, the Washington Post, and the Weekly Standard. 11

Nonpolitical Positions

Rove was previously a member of the Board of International Broadcasting, the body that oversees Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Rove also was on the White House Fellows regional selection panel. 11

After the George W. Bush administration, Rove has taught graduate students at the University of Texas Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. He also taught undergraduates in a joint appointment from the Journalism and Government departments at the university. Rove was also a faculty member at the Salzburg Seminar at the university. 11

Rove was formerly a member of the boards of regents at Texas Women’s University and East Texas State University. Rove has been a member of the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee. 11

Rove has also been on the board of trustees for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Texas State History Museum Foundation. 11

Rove has been a member of the McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors and the Texas Philosophical Society. 11

References

  1. “Karl Rove.” Wall Street Journal. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/news/author/karl-rove
  2. “Karl Rove.” Britannica. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Rove
  3. “Two Years After Leak, Investigation Continues.” New York Times. July 21, 2005. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/07/21/politics/20050722leak_graphic.html
  4. Associated Press. “Armitage says he was foolish in CIA leak.” NBC News. November 12, 2007. Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21752492
  5. “Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies.” Ballotpedia. Accessed May 19, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/Crossroads_GPS
  6. “Karl Rove at the Wall Street Journal.” The Wall Street Journal. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://www.wsj.com/news/author/karl-rove.
  7. “Karl Rove – The Architect: Chronology of Karl Rove’s Life and Political Career.” Frontline. PBS. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20080314133934/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/rove/cron.html
  8. Press Release. “Karl Rove on America’s Broken Politics: How We Got Here, How We’ll Get Out of It.” University of Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://lbj.utexas.edu/karl-rove-americas-broken-politics-how-we-got-here-how-well-get-out-it
  9. LoBianco, Tom. “The mastermind of George W. Bush’s White House victories is advising Trump’s 2020 campaign, focusing on swing-state battlegrounds and Republican voter outreach.” Business Insider. May 21, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/karl-rove-helping-trump-campaign-2020-5?utmSource=twitter&utmContent=referral&utmTerm=topbar&referrer=twitter
  10. Ventura, Juliann. “Karl Rove fact-checks viral post: ‘I have not been rallying for Kamala Harris’” The Hill. October 16, 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4936179-karl-rove-fact-checks-viral-post-i-have-not-been-rallying-for-kamala-harris/
  11. “LBJ Conversations with Karl Rove.” University of Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Accessed November 15, 2024. https://lbj.utexas.edu/lbj-conversations-karl-rove
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