Person

Natalie Montelongo

Nationality:

American

Occupation:

Political Campaign Strategist

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Natalie Montelongo is a left-of-center political consultant, campaign strategist, and activist for expanded immigration. 1 As of early 2020, she was an operative on the Presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); she had previously worked on the 2020 Presidential campaign of former Obama administration Housing Secretary Julian Castro and for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), among other liberal interests.

Elizabeth Warren Campaign

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) 2020 Presidential campaign hired Montelongo in January 2020 to serve as a senior strategist for political and constituency outreach. 2 Montelongo was hired for this position just weeks after her former boss, Obama administration Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Warren. 3

Julian Castro Campaign

In February 2019, Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro tapped Montelongo to work as the political director for his 2020 campaign. 4 She held this position until Castro suspended his campaign in January 2020. Castro, who had served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration, focused much of his campaign on a very liberal immigration position, a political issue that Montelongo has focused on leading up to her position on Castro’s campaign. 5 6

ACLU

Prior to her appointment by Castro, Montelongo worked as the national campaign strategist for the ACLU focusing on immigration issues. During her tenure with the ACLU, she participated in the We Have Rights campaign. According to the ACLU’s website this initiative serves to defend illegal immigrants from deportation policies enforced by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 7 8

Voto Latino

Montelongo worked as the national organizing director for Voto Latino from March 2017 until she joined the ACLU. In this capacity she worked to reach and mobilize millennial voters and use them to advance progressive policies related to the Latino demographic. 9 During the 2016 presidential campaign, Voto Latino spent $1.4 million specifically in opposition to the campaign of Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump. 10

Hillary for America

Montelongo served as both regional organizing director and then political director for the Hillary for America campaign. 11 This campaign was Montelongo’s first major political campaign and one that she described as an opportunity to garner Hispanic votes in areas that would not routinely give their support. 12

Podesta Group

From 2013 through 2014, Montelongo worked as an associate for the high-powered but now-defunct Democratic-aligned lobbying shop Podesta Group. 13 Tony Podesta and his brother, Clinton administration and Obama White House senior aide John Podesta, formed Podesta Group, and Tony chaired the Group until it shut down. Montelongo was later hired to work for the Hillary Clinton campaign, which was chaired by John Podesta. 14

Criticism of President Trump

Montelongo has been critical of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. In 2019, while campaigning with Castro, Montelongo took to Twitter calling Trump hateful ahead of a San Antonio rally. 15 In response to the end of a 2019 federal government shutdown, Montelongo credited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as a “boss” for postponing the 2019 State of the Union address and forcing President Trump to re-open the federal government without any funding for the border wall. 16

References

  1. “Ballotpedia’s Daily Presidential News Briefing – October 25, 2019.” Ballotpedia. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia’s_Daily_Presidential_News_Briefing_-_October_25,_2019.
  2. “Warren Campaign Hires Pair of Top Castro Aides.” POLITICO. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/21/warren-campaign-castro-aides-101670.
  3. Gamboa, Suzanne, and Deepa Shivaram. “Julián Castro Endorses Elizabeth Warren for President.” NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, January 6, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/juli-n-castro-endorses-elizabeth-warren-president-n1111131.
  4. Svitek, Patrick. “Julián Castro Adds National, New Hampshire Staff to 2020 Campaign.” The Texas Tribune. The Texas Tribune, February 25, 2019. https://www.texastribune.org/2019/02/25/julian-castro-staff-new-hampshire-campaign/.
  5. KevinWilliamB. “Julian Castro Drops out of 2020 Democratic Primary Race.” CNBC. CNBC, January 2, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/julian-castro-drops-out-of-2020-democratic-primary-race.html.
  6. “Donations, Volunteering Surge at Border Asylum-Seeker Center.” The Washington Times. The Washington Times, June 25, 2018. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/25/donations-volunteering-surge-at-border-asylum-seek/.
  7. Barron, Laignee. “’We Have Rights’ Campaign to Help Immigrants Handle ICE.” Time. Time, March 28, 2018. https://time.com/5218308/aclu-immigration-campaign-we-have-rights/.
  8. “Brooklyn Defender Services and ACLU Launch Campaign to Empower Immigrant Communities When Dealing with ICE.” American Civil Liberties Union. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/brooklyn-defender-services-and-aclu-launch-campaign-empower-immigrant-communities.
  9. Brand Contributor. “Natalie Montelongo.” Forbes. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://www.forbes.com/sites/civicnation/people/nataliemontelongo/#6e6cd28d2ee2.
  10. “El Super PAC Voto Latino Summary.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00623603&cycle=2016.
  11. “Nevada and South Carolina Results: Rubio Officially Takes Second Place; Trump and Clinton Win.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-live-updates-nevada-caucuses-south-carolina-primary-trailguide-02202016-htmlstory.html#in-north-las-vegas-caucus-gets-off-to-a-raucous-start.
  12. Peters, Jeremy W. “How Do You Say ‘Vote for Clinton’ in Spanish? Ask the Abuelas.” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 1, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/us/politics/hillary-clinton-hispanic-support-abuelas.html.
  13. “Natalie Montelongo.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 3, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-montelongo-99446217/.
  14. “Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta On Russian Indictments.” NPR. NPR, July 14, 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/07/14/629058505/clinton-campaign-chairman-john-podesta-on-russian-indictments.
  15. Montelongo, Natalie. “YA’LL — Donald Trump Is Coming to San Antonio This Wednesday to Fundraise off of His Hateful Rhetoric. Meanwhile, #TeamJulián Is Setting up the Complete Opposite Event. A fest with Mariachis, Food Trucks, & Uplifting Speakers. Help Spread the Word: Https://T.co/3UX555yqF6 Pic.twitter.com/NTO0ldz7n3.” Twitter. Twitter, April 7, 2019. https://twitter.com/natimontelongo/status/1114978653476130821.
  16. Montelongo, Natalie. “Nancy Pelosi:Postponed Trump’s State of the Union AddressForced Trump to Reopen the Government on Her TermsGave Trump No Money for His Border Wall LIKE A BOSS.” Twitter. Twitter, January 25, 2019. https://twitter.com/natimontelongo/status/1088883853509443584.

Connected Organizations

  1. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (Non-profit)
    National Campaign Strategist, Immigrant Rights
  2. Rise to Run (Non-profit)
    Advisory Board Member
  3. Voto Latino (Non-profit)
    Former National Field Director
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