Tim Phillips (political strategist)
Encyclopedia
Tim Phillips born July 13, 1964, is the current president of Americans for Prosperity
.
in the fall, 1983, he went to Washington DC as part of a school sponsored internship with the Department of Education, thus beginning his political career. After a brief courtship with fellow intern, Julia Reider Phillips, the two were married and now have four children including twin boys and one daughter. They have been married 26 years.
He completed his education in 1985 as a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Virginia Tech, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Political Science. Phillips is active in the youth ministry at his church, Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, VA and is an outspoken fan of the National Football League.
, then served on Capitol Hill as Goodlatte’s Chief of Staff until 1996.
In 1997, Phillips and political consultant Ralph Reed founded Century Strategies, a public relations and campaign consulting organization serving both business and political customers. During his tenure as vice president, Century Strategies’ clients included Bush for President, the Georgia, Florida and Virginia Republican Parties, members of Congress including Majority Leader Dick Armey
, Conference Chairman J.C. Watts
, Bob Goodlatte plus numerous state and local officials.
He was named “Rising Star in Politics” in 1998 by Campaign and Elections Magazine and has been interviewed by numerous personalities including MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Glen Beck as well as CBS News’ Katie Couric.
President Obama raised AFP’s profile in an August, 2010 campaign speech stating, “Right now all around this country there are groups with harmless-sounding names like Americans for Prosperity, who are running millions of dollars of ads against Democratic candidates all across the country. And they don't have to say who exactly the Americans for Prosperity are. You don't know if it’s a foreign-controlled corporation. You don't know if it’s a big oil company, or a big bank.”
AFP responded to Obama’s comments by comparing their 1.5 million grassroots membership roll with the corporate funding Obama receives from organizations benefiting from his legislative agenda including SEIU, the American Medical Association
and pharmaceutical lobbyist, PhRMA, itself pledging "$150 million for advertising and grass-roots activity” to support Obama’s healthcare initiatives.
Additionally on the subject of funding, Phillips has indicated, AFP has received donations from 50,000 donors from all 50 states stating, “We think that the American democratic process is a good thing, that every American ought to be involved, whether they have a lot of money or they don’t have a lot of money.”
Thousands of activists annually attend AFP sponsored seminars including the RightOnline convention for conservative bloggers and Defending the American Dream Summit for grassroots activists Headlining these events have been nationally known personalities including George Will, Dick Morris, Michele Bachmann, Jim DeMint, Larry Kudlow, Newt Gingrich, Mike Pence and numerous others.
AFP has utilized a number of campaign themed initiatives to generate awareness and political momentum including Hot Air Balloon events to expose the rising costs of global warming, Hands Off My Healthcare bus tours as well as generated numerous television and radio ads including a $750,000 ad campaign opposing a government panel’s recommendation to raise the age of early detection mammograms to 50. In 2010, AFP sponsored the November is Coming campaign using door-to-door endeavors and phone banks to generate 360,000 signatures from those opposed to “government mandates, special deals, and higher taxes.”
In early 2011, Phillips was in Madison
, Wisconsin
during the 2011 budget protests to "voice praise for cutting state spending by slashing union benefits and bargaining rights [and to address] a large group of counterprotesters."
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity is a Washington, D.C.–based political advocacy group. According to their literature, they promote economic policy that supports business, and restrains regulation by government...
.
Personal life
Phillips grew up in Spartanburg, SC. After briefly attending Liberty UniversityLiberty University
Liberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...
in the fall, 1983, he went to Washington DC as part of a school sponsored internship with the Department of Education, thus beginning his political career. After a brief courtship with fellow intern, Julia Reider Phillips, the two were married and now have four children including twin boys and one daughter. They have been married 26 years.
He completed his education in 1985 as a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Virginia Tech, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Political Science. Phillips is active in the youth ministry at his church, Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, VA and is an outspoken fan of the National Football League.
Political career
Phillips has over 25 years of political campaign experience on the local, state and national levels. He managed the 1992 U.S. Congressional Campaign of Bob GoodlatteBob Goodlatte
Robert William "Bob" Goodlatte is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Roanoke and also includes Lynchburg, Harrisonburg and Staunton.-Early life, education and career:...
, then served on Capitol Hill as Goodlatte’s Chief of Staff until 1996.
In 1997, Phillips and political consultant Ralph Reed founded Century Strategies, a public relations and campaign consulting organization serving both business and political customers. During his tenure as vice president, Century Strategies’ clients included Bush for President, the Georgia, Florida and Virginia Republican Parties, members of Congress including Majority Leader Dick Armey
Dick Armey
Richard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's and House Majority Leader . He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was...
, Conference Chairman J.C. Watts
J.C. Watts
Julius Caesar "J. C." Watts, Jr. is an American politician from Oklahoma who was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and professionally in the Canadian Football League. Watts served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican, representing the 4th...
, Bob Goodlatte plus numerous state and local officials.
He was named “Rising Star in Politics” in 1998 by Campaign and Elections Magazine and has been interviewed by numerous personalities including MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Glen Beck as well as CBS News’ Katie Couric.
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) under Phillip's leadership
AFP has grown from nine state chapters in 2006, Phillip’s first year as president, to 31 chapters in 2010, extending their membership roll to 1.5 million activists from all 50 states. AFP’s mission statement indicates they are committed to educating the public about economic policy and supporting free market solutions at the local, state and national levels.President Obama raised AFP’s profile in an August, 2010 campaign speech stating, “Right now all around this country there are groups with harmless-sounding names like Americans for Prosperity, who are running millions of dollars of ads against Democratic candidates all across the country. And they don't have to say who exactly the Americans for Prosperity are. You don't know if it’s a foreign-controlled corporation. You don't know if it’s a big oil company, or a big bank.”
AFP responded to Obama’s comments by comparing their 1.5 million grassroots membership roll with the corporate funding Obama receives from organizations benefiting from his legislative agenda including SEIU, the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
and pharmaceutical lobbyist, PhRMA, itself pledging "$150 million for advertising and grass-roots activity” to support Obama’s healthcare initiatives.
Additionally on the subject of funding, Phillips has indicated, AFP has received donations from 50,000 donors from all 50 states stating, “We think that the American democratic process is a good thing, that every American ought to be involved, whether they have a lot of money or they don’t have a lot of money.”
Thousands of activists annually attend AFP sponsored seminars including the RightOnline convention for conservative bloggers and Defending the American Dream Summit for grassroots activists Headlining these events have been nationally known personalities including George Will, Dick Morris, Michele Bachmann, Jim DeMint, Larry Kudlow, Newt Gingrich, Mike Pence and numerous others.
AFP has utilized a number of campaign themed initiatives to generate awareness and political momentum including Hot Air Balloon events to expose the rising costs of global warming, Hands Off My Healthcare bus tours as well as generated numerous television and radio ads including a $750,000 ad campaign opposing a government panel’s recommendation to raise the age of early detection mammograms to 50. In 2010, AFP sponsored the November is Coming campaign using door-to-door endeavors and phone banks to generate 360,000 signatures from those opposed to “government mandates, special deals, and higher taxes.”
In early 2011, Phillips was in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
during the 2011 budget protests to "voice praise for cutting state spending by slashing union benefits and bargaining rights [and to address] a large group of counterprotesters."