David Cruz Thayne
Encyclopedia
David Cruz Thayne is an American small businessman, former professional tennis player, and Democratic congressional candidate. He formerly served as chief of staff
and campaign manager
to Utah State Senate
Minority Leader
Scott Howell, a Democrat
, and currently operates his own tennis-oriented small business in Southern California
which has also led to the production of two tennis oriented documentaries. He is a candidate for California’s 26th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2012
.
, New Hampshire
, Thayne quickly relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah
with his mother, Gladys Cruz Thayne, a Uruguayan immigrant, and adopted father, David Blaine Thayne, a foreign language and ESL
high school teacher. He has eight brothers and sisters: Ana, Silvia, Debbie, Divina, Dave, Trisha, Troy, and Tim. As a result of his family, Thayne continues to be a fluent Spanish
speaker. In his youth, Thayne became heavily involved with Utah’s youth soccer team and also qualifying to play for the 6th division of a Uruguayan professional soccer club: Club Nacional de Futbol. His grandfather had played professionally for the same club and two of his uncles had also played professionally for Danubio F.C.
.
Despite spending most of his youth playing soccer, Thayne abruptly quit at age 13 and began playing tennis
for Cottonwood High School (Murray, Utah), eventually becoming Utah’s 4a high school state champion in singles. Partly the result of not reaching his tennis peak until late in high school, David was presented with scholarship opportunities predominantly at local Utah universities and thus opted for a professional tennis career instead; a career that would last eight years.
While a junior in high school, Thayne met and began dating a sophomore in his math class named Katie Smith. After dating for several years, Thayne and Smith married in 1993 at ages 22 and 21 respectively (they now have three children and another reportedly due in October 2011).
in 2000, had won tough election fights in Republicans districts in 1990 and 1992 and was targeted for defeat in 1996, the year Howell appointed Thayne campaign manager. Despite attacks that Howell was hiding his party and governing philosophy from the voters, Howell won yet again with a 54 to 46 percent margin. His win in Utah’s conservative 8th district, as reported by the Deseret News, had many state Republican
lawmakers grumbling about the one that got away.
After serving as Howell’s Chief of Staff over the next two legislative sessions, Thayne became campaign manager for Steven B. Wall, a Salt Lake Attorney running as a Democrat in Utah’s 9th State Senate District. Ultimately, Wall lost the election against Republican incumbent Steven Poulton, 52% to 47% (11,582 votes to 10,334 votes).
in 1998 where he began a tennis instruction business. Over the next decade, Thayne would use that start to develop a comprehensive business network becoming a dealmaker and consultant while also producing two tennis documentaries: 50,000 Balls and Somay Ku: A Uganda Tennis Story. Somay Ku: A Uganda Tennis Story won the award for Best Documentary at the 2008 Malibu Film Festival and later debuted on the Tennis Channel. 50,000 Balls received official selections from the Rome International Film Festival, the Newport International Film Festival, won Best Documentary and Best Feature at the Northern California Film Festival, and debuted on ESPN Classic in June 2009.
, if he chooses to run. Two weeks before officially declaring his candidacy, Thayne added political consultant Garry South, named the “Carville of California” by the New York Times, to his campaign team as chief strategist.
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
and campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
to Utah State Senate
Utah State Senate
The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of constituent senatorial districts. Each senatorial district is composed of approximately 91,000 people...
Minority Leader
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
Scott Howell, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and currently operates his own tennis-oriented small business in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
which has also led to the production of two tennis oriented documentaries. He is a candidate for California’s 26th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2012
United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2012
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in California will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the 53 U.S. Representatives from the state, one from each of the state's 53 congressional districts. The elections will coincide with the elections of other federal and state...
.
Early life
Born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Thayne quickly relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
with his mother, Gladys Cruz Thayne, a Uruguayan immigrant, and adopted father, David Blaine Thayne, a foreign language and ESL
ESL
ESL is a common abbreviation for English as a Second Language, see English language learning and teaching.ESL may also refer to:-Companies:...
high school teacher. He has eight brothers and sisters: Ana, Silvia, Debbie, Divina, Dave, Trisha, Troy, and Tim. As a result of his family, Thayne continues to be a fluent Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
speaker. In his youth, Thayne became heavily involved with Utah’s youth soccer team and also qualifying to play for the 6th division of a Uruguayan professional soccer club: Club Nacional de Futbol. His grandfather had played professionally for the same club and two of his uncles had also played professionally for Danubio F.C.
Danubio F.C.
-History:Danubio was founded by the Bulgarian born brothers, Miguel and Juan Lazaroff, on March 1, 1932 together with other youths from the "Republica de Nicaragua" school in Montevideo...
.
Despite spending most of his youth playing soccer, Thayne abruptly quit at age 13 and began playing tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
for Cottonwood High School (Murray, Utah), eventually becoming Utah’s 4a high school state champion in singles. Partly the result of not reaching his tennis peak until late in high school, David was presented with scholarship opportunities predominantly at local Utah universities and thus opted for a professional tennis career instead; a career that would last eight years.
While a junior in high school, Thayne met and began dating a sophomore in his math class named Katie Smith. After dating for several years, Thayne and Smith married in 1993 at ages 22 and 21 respectively (they now have three children and another reportedly due in October 2011).
Political career
Following his tennis career, Thayne involved himself in Utah politics, becoming campaign manager and later chief of staff for then State Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell. Howell, later the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate against Orrin HatchOrrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
in 2000, had won tough election fights in Republicans districts in 1990 and 1992 and was targeted for defeat in 1996, the year Howell appointed Thayne campaign manager. Despite attacks that Howell was hiding his party and governing philosophy from the voters, Howell won yet again with a 54 to 46 percent margin. His win in Utah’s conservative 8th district, as reported by the Deseret News, had many state Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
lawmakers grumbling about the one that got away.
After serving as Howell’s Chief of Staff over the next two legislative sessions, Thayne became campaign manager for Steven B. Wall, a Salt Lake Attorney running as a Democrat in Utah’s 9th State Senate District. Ultimately, Wall lost the election against Republican incumbent Steven Poulton, 52% to 47% (11,582 votes to 10,334 votes).
Small businessman
Following his management of Wall’s campaign, Thayne moved permanently to Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
in 1998 where he began a tennis instruction business. Over the next decade, Thayne would use that start to develop a comprehensive business network becoming a dealmaker and consultant while also producing two tennis documentaries: 50,000 Balls and Somay Ku: A Uganda Tennis Story. Somay Ku: A Uganda Tennis Story won the award for Best Documentary at the 2008 Malibu Film Festival and later debuted on the Tennis Channel. 50,000 Balls received official selections from the Rome International Film Festival, the Newport International Film Festival, won Best Documentary and Best Feature at the Northern California Film Festival, and debuted on ESPN Classic in June 2009.
Run for Congress, 2012
On August 18, 2011, Thayne announced his candidacy for Southern California’s newly drawn 26th congressional district, a district that many political commentators believe will be a race between the Democratic nominee and the 26-year Republican incumbent Elton GalleglyElton Gallegly
Elton William Gallegly is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 23rd and 21st, serving in Congress since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and pre-congressional career:...
, if he chooses to run. Two weeks before officially declaring his candidacy, Thayne added political consultant Garry South, named the “Carville of California” by the New York Times, to his campaign team as chief strategist.