Chris Winkelman, the highest staffer on the Home Republican marketing campaign arm, would be the new president of the Congressional Management Fund.
Winkelman will substitute Dan Conston, who has led the tremendous PAC for six years and introduced Monday he can be stepping down. CLF, the most important Home GOP tremendous PAC, is endorsed by Speaker Mike Johnson.
As its chief, Winkelman will courtroom main social gathering donors and direct a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in advert spending to assist Republicans develop their slim majority. He spent three cycles as normal counsel for the Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee earlier than taking on as its government director in 2023.
His tenure on the NRCC has given him robust relationships with members and the chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.). And he’s identified to be shut with Johnson, who assumed the speakership in late 2023.
“Chris Winkelman helped lead the struggle to defend Republicans’ Home majority on the NRCC and can be a powerful pressure main the Congressional Management Fund to construct on these efforts within the subsequent election cycle,” Johnson stated in a press release.
Winkelman is an professional on marketing campaign and finance legislation, together with the intersection of social gathering committees, tremendous PACs, nonprofits and candidates’ campaigns.
He was closely concerned in courting donors on the NRCC, however main the highest tremendous PAC would require a distinct sort of fundraising. CLF and its sister nonprofit, American Motion Community, can settle for a lot bigger checks from donors. Conston had shut ties to the huge GOP donor community, which he developed over his time period.
“Chris can be a unbelievable chief who will take what’s been constructed and develop CLF to even better ranges,” Conston stated, praising his “sharp political acumen and authorized thoughts.”
Winkelman is understood for preserving a decrease media profile and dealing quietly behind the scenes. Republicans maintained their Home majority this yr regardless of having a tricky map, compelled to defend greater than a dozen incumbents in districts that Joe Biden received.
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