Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Person

Paco Fabian

Occupation:

Communication and Campaign Director for Our Revolution
Education:

University of Westminster and University of Arizona

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Paco Fabian is director of campaigns at Our Revolution and the former communications director of Change to Win, a labor union coalition originally formed to rival the AFL-CIO. 1 He is also on the advisory committee of Our Story Hub, a project of the Proteus Fund, which advises left-of-center politicians and groups on communication strategies. 2

Our Revolution

Paco Fabian is the communications and campaign director for Our Revolution, a left-wing advocacy group formed in the wake of the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). 3

Fabian joined the organization in April 2019 as Sanders was launching another campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. 4

After Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020, Fabian said progressives were worried about Biden’s Cabinet choices. 5 Fabian said during the 2020 campaign that Our Revolution did not want to see Biden appoint corporate executives in his administration, asserting, “it just increases the probability that their policy positions are the ones that get implemented.” 6

After winning the presidency in the 2020 election but doing poorly in down-ballot congressional races, many Democrats suggested reevaluating the party’s left-progressive focus and pivoting to promoting a strong economy. Fabian spoke out against a refocus and noted that left-progressive ballot initiatives were still successful. 7

During the 2020 Sanders presidential primary bid, Sanders criticized “dark money” in politics. However, he declined to call on Our Revolution to disclose its donors. When this became a controversy, Fabian defended the group, saying it follows all campaign finance rules and sometimes exceeds federal transparency requirements. However, the group still declined to disclose its largest donors. 8

Fabian said that Our Revolution promoted electing left-wing prosecutors across the country to change the criminal justice system. 9

Education and Early Career

Before joining Our Revolution, Fabian was the communications director for the Change to Win Federation, a coalition of labor union groups associated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). He was with this organization from February 2011 through March 2019, his longest job according to his LinkedIn profile. 10

During that same time period, Fabian reportedly worked in 2018 as communications director for Good Jobs Nation, a union-backed left-of-center organization that advocates for a $15 minimum wage. 11

Before his long stint at Change to Win, Fabian worked as a journalist and in various communication roles for left-progressive organizations.

Fabian earned a master of arts in international relations and political theory at the University of Westminster. He earned a BA in political science and international relations at the University of Arizona.

From January 2005 to December 2006, Fabian was a journalist and analyst for AFA Press, where he wrote industry reports on Latin American economies and sectors for publication in major U.S. and international print outlets. 12

From March 2006 to June 2008, Fabian was a senior account executive at Fenton Communications, a public relations firm with offices in New York and San Francisco that works for progressive causes and clients. 13

In 2008 and 2009, Fabian was the communications director for America’s Voice, which advocates for illegal immigrants with other progressive organizations to push for citizenship rights for illegal immigrants. 14

Fabian worked as a communications consultant from 2009 to 2011. 15

References

  1. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603
  2. “Advisory Committee.” Our Story Hub. Accessed June 25, 2019. http://ourstoryhub.org/index.php/home/about/who-we-are
  3. Our Leadership. Our Revolution. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://ourrevolution.com/our-leadership/
  4. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603
  5. Parti, Tarini and Colin, Eliza. “Biden Cabinet Gets Mixed Grade So Far From Progressive Groups.” The Wall Street Journal. December 11, 2020. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-cabinet-gets-mixed-grade-so-far-from-liberal-groups-11607712063
  6. Schwartz, Brian. “‘He needs to earn our trust:’ Progressive groups begin push for Biden to keep Wall Street out of the White House.’” CNBC. April 9, 2020. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/09/progressives-to-biden-keep-wall-street-out-of-the-white-house.html
  7. Parti, Tarini and Collins, Eliza. “After 2020 Losses, Some Democrats Question Party’s Health-Care Focus.” The Wall Street Journal. December 6, 2020. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/after-2020-losses-some-democrats-question-partys-health-care-focus-11607274000
  8. Ye Hee Lee, Michelle. “Sanders, a critic of secret money in politics, declines to call on a group supporting him to disclose its donors.” The Washington Post. January 20, 2020. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-a-critic-of-secret-money-in-politics-declines-to-call-on-a-group-supporting-him-to-disclose-its-donors/2020/01/20/e58f813e-27f8-11ea-ad73-2fd294520e97_story.html
  9. Morin, Rebecca. “Dems rally local voters with a simple ask: Who is the person who will ‘impact on your everyday life’.” USA Today. October 17, 2020. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/10/17/2020-democrats-hope-trump-political-climate-activate-down-ballot-votes/3409113001/
  10. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603
  11. Saxton, Matt. “Groups Plan to Hold Protests Before President’s Rally.” The Intelligencer. September 29, 2018. Accessed December 16, 2020. https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2018/09/groups-plan-to-hold-protests-before-presidents-rally/
  12. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603
  13. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603
  14. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603
  15. “Paco Fabian.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 28, 2019. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paco-fabian-4279603

Connected Organizations

  1. Our Story Hub (Non-profit)
    Advisory Board Member
  2. Our Revolution (Non-profit)
    Director of Campaigns
  See an error? Let us know!