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Kevin Sheekey
Kevin Sheekey receives the Ordre National du Mérite at the French Embassy
Born (1966-06-12) June 12, 1966 (age 57)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater Washington University in St. Louis
Occupation(s)Global Head of Communications, Government Relations and Marketing for Bloomberg L.P.
Political party Democratic
SpouseRobin Caiola (m. 1998)
Children2
Website Sheekey Daily Read

Kevin Sheekey (born June 12, 1966) is an American businessman and political adviser. He is the Global Head of Communications, Government Relations and Marketing for Bloomberg L.P. [1] He was the campaign manager for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's 2020 presidential campaign. [2] [3] Previously, Sheekey served as head of government relations and communications at Bloomberg L.P. and as chairman of Bloomberg Government. [4] Sheekey also previously served as deputy mayor for government affairs for the City of New York under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He is credited with managing Mayor Bloomberg's three successful campaigns for Mayor of New York. [5] In March 2020, the Atlantic called Sheekey "one of the sharpest political minds of his generation." [6]

Personal life and education

Sheekey grew up in Washington, D.C. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Robin, and their twin children. [7] He attended Washington University in St. Louis [7] and Georgetown Day School. [8]

He has two sisters, one of whom, Megan Sheekey, was the President of the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. [9]

Professional career

From 1992 to 1997, Sheekey worked for New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, serving as press secretary, campaign manager for Moynihan's 1994 re-election campaign and eventually, the Senator's Chief of Staff. [10] Including his time working for Sen. Moynihan, Sheekey spent a dozen years working for Democrats in Congress. [11]

Sheekey was hired by Bloomberg L.P. in 1997 to work as the company's chief Washington lobbyist. [7] He has been with Mike Bloomberg "since the beginning of his "political foray and has taken the lead in counseling him in the ways of politics." [12] [13]

Sheekey ran Mike Bloomberg's first mayoral campaign in 2001 despite initially encouraging Bloomberg not to run. [14] As part of the Bloomberg administration, Sheekey served as president of the New York Host Committee, the organization in charge of overseeing the Republican National Convention, and later, as Bloomberg's deputy mayor of government affairs. [10]

As manager of Bloomberg's 2005 re-election campaign, Sheekey was given 'free rein' to build a coalition of support for the mayor that included "unions, Democratic officials and liberal activists like NARAL Pro-Choice New York." [12] After Bloomberg won in 2005, Sheekey was offered a job helping Arnold Schwarzeneggar's gubernatorial re-election campaign. [15]

At the outset of Bloomberg's second term, Sheekey was credited with making a significant impact as a political strategist in the administration. Following re-election in November 2005, Bloomberg had "declared war on the National Rifle Association, come out publicly against key elements of the plan for ground zero [the original World Trade Center site] of his fellow Republican, Gov. George E. Pataki, and, through intermediaries, threatened to help Democrats take control of the State Senate from his fellow Republicans if they do not provide more money for city schools." Sheekey oversaw most of these efforts. [15]

Sheekey played a prominent role in developing projects such as PlaNYC and obtaining billions in school construction funds for New York City from state legislators. [5] [7] A strategist with the New York State Democratic Committee called Sheekey "probably the best political operator" of his generation. Sheekey told the New York Times "I believe politics is a good thing. I believe in politics as the art of leadership." [12] He is also known for exploring and organizing Bloomberg's potential presidential run in 2008. The mayor eventually opted to complete his second term rather than run for president. [13]

When Sheekey returned to Bloomberg L.P. in 2010, Michael Bloomberg credited him with shepherding issues like mayoral control of schools, winning billions of additional budget dollars from the state capitol and withdrawing New York City from a partnership with Off-Track Betting. Sheekey also led efforts to overhaul the city Marriage Bureau. [16] [17] In a statement, Bloomberg said Sheekey "had his hand in just about everything we've done over the past four years and we've been smarter more strategic and more successful due to his efforts." [18]

On his return to Bloomberg L.P., Sheekey oversaw government relations and communications for the company and served as chairman of Bloomberg Government, a subscription data service providing aggregated government news and analysis. [18] He eventually rose within Bloomberg L.P. to the role of Global Head of Communications, Government Relations and Marketing. He is based part-time in London where he represents Bloomberg L.P.'s global business presence. [19]

Sheekey serves on the board of the ONE Campaign, alongside the likes of U2's lead singer Bono, Sheryl Sandberg, John Doerr, Lawrence Summers, and Susan Buffett. [20] He is also a member of the board of the Partnership for Public Service. [21]

Sheekey was a founding board member of Tech:NYC at its inception in 2016. Tech:NYC is a non profit organization that represents the interest of New York City's technology sector through the support of member companies like Google, Bloomberg L.P., Uber, and Facebook. [22] [23]

In 2015, Sheekey began laying groundwork for Michael Bloomberg to run for president as an Independent candidate in the 2016 election. [24] [25] Sheekey worked with Democratic and Republican political strategists to map out staffing and messaging for the proposed campaign. [26] Bloomberg formally announced he would not run on March 7, 2016, stating that there was too high of a risk his candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. [27] Sheekey later advised on preparation and strategy for Bloomberg's primetime speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, during which Bloomberg endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. [28] [29] Sheekey told the New York Times during the campaign "Hillary [Clinton] has some baggage, but Trump is crazy. And you can't fix crazy." [30]

It was reported that Sheekey was considering running in the 2017 New York City mayoral election against incumbent Bill de Blasio, [31] but ultimately decided against entering the mayoral race to continue to focus on expanding former New York City three-term mayor Michael Bloomberg's global work with mayors around climate change and other issues. [32] Sheekey's interest in climate and sustainability has grown since helping create New York City's climate change-focused strategic plan in 2007. In 2017, Sheekey proposed that Bloomberg Philanthropies cover the gap created when Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords. [33]

In November 2019, Mike Bloomberg announced that he was running for president and named Sheekey his campaign manager. [34] Sheekey had previously said that Bloomberg would have an advantage as a candidate — and would work to ensure any Democratic nominee would defeat the incumbent — because of his business acumen and technological knowledge. Sheekey said in February 2019, "Whether Mike runs or not, he really wants to advance the science of how you target voters...One of the country's best technology entrepreneurs ever is going to make sure that whoever wins the Democratic nomination is going to all have the support they'll need to win a general election and beat Trump." [35] Sheekey discussed the reasoning behind entering the race in a December 2019 interview with David Plouffe, who ran President Obama's 2008 campaign. They also covered Bloomberg's decision to skip the first four state contests and mount a 'national campaign.' [36] [37] [38] Sheekey said that although he wasn't sure Bloomberg could win, "Had Mike not run that campaign, it is my belief that Trump would still be in office." [33]

In December 2023, Sheekey was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. [39] Sheekey received the French Ordre national du mérite in April 2022. French Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Etienne presented the honor on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron. Ambassador Etienne cited Sheekey's promotion of Franco-American friendship and leadership on climate change. [40]

Philippe Etienne [@Ph_Etienne] (April 13, 2022). "An honor to name @ksheekey Knight in the Order of Merit. Thank you, Kevin, for the ways in which you promote Franco-American friendship and collaboration, notably for your dedication to the causes of climate, health and the fight against inequalities" ( Tweet) – via Twitter.

Sheekey's political philosophy is compared to the military doctrine of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell: "Use overwhelming force." [41]

References

  1. ^ "At Bloomberg, John Micklethwait channels an ancient ancestor". www.capitalnewyork.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Michael Bloomberg officially enters presidential race". MSNBC.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Givas, Nick (November 25, 2019). "Bloomberg campaign manager on 2020: Trump is winning". Fox News. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Peters, Jeremy W. (October 10, 2010). "Bloomberg Plans a Data Service on the Business of Government". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Chen, David (March 2, 2010). "Top Political Adviser Leaving Bloomberg the Mayor for Bloomberg the Firm". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  6. ^ Purdum, Todd S. (March 2, 2020). "The Bloomberg Whisperer". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d Smith, Chris (January 27, 2008). "Bloomberg's Enabler". New York Magazine. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "Alumni Giving by Year". Georgetown Days. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Gardiner, Jill (May 22, 2007). "Mayor's Fund Attracting Big Money From Business". The Sun. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Smith, Ben (June 14, 2004). "Mike's Brain: Moynihan Guy Playing Rove". New York Observer. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  11. ^ "Mike's Brain: Moynihan Guy Playing Rove". Observer. June 14, 2004. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Rutenberg, Jim (February 25, 2006). "Strategist Has Bloomberg Swinging Away". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Nagourney, Adam (June 21, 2007). "For 2 Years, Bloomberg Aides Prepared Bid". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  14. ^ Smith, Chris (January 25, 2008). "Can Kevin Sheekey Make Mike Bloomberg President". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Healy, Patrick (June 30, 2007). "One-Man Bandwagon Beats Drum for Bloomberg '08". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Messinger, Eric (February 1, 2010). "At Home In the City". New York Family. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Kugler, Sara (January 7, 2009). "NY hears wedding bells, aims to compete with Vegas". The San Diego Tribune. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Chen, David W. (March 3, 2010). "Top Political Adviser Leaving Bloomberg the Mayor for Bloomberg the Firm". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "Sheekey Departs". New York Daily News. March 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  20. ^ "Kevin Sheekey". Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  21. ^ "Board and History". Partnership for Public Service. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "Our Leaders". Tech:NYC. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  23. ^ "New York Tech Companies Are Getting a New Lobby Organization". Fortune. May 2, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  24. ^ "Why We Should Take Mike Bloomberg Seriously This Time". BuzzFeed. January 23, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  25. ^ Commentator, Errol Louis, CNN Political (January 13, 2016). "Michael Bloomberg for President?". CNN. Retrieved August 25, 2016. {{ cite web}}: |first= has generic name ( help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)
  26. ^ "Trump Goaded Bloomberg Into Planning a Presidential Campaign. Here's Why He Probably Won't Run". March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  27. ^ Bloomberg, Michael R. (March 7, 2016). "The Risk I Will Not Take". Bloomberg View. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  28. ^ Dwyer, Jim (July 28, 2016). "Another Ex-Mayor Takes the Stage, but This Time, to Ease an Anxious Nation". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  29. ^ Neuman, William (July 28, 2016). "For Trump and Bloomberg, Cordial Ties Have Soured". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  30. ^ Neuman, William (July 28, 2016). "For Trump and Bloomberg, Cordial Ties Have Soured". The New York Times. ISSN  0362-4331. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  31. ^ Dawsey, Josh (November 11, 2016). "Bloomberg Adviser Kevin Sheekey Considers a New York City Mayoral Bid". Wall Street Journal. ISSN  0099-9660. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  32. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Bloomberg deputy Sheekey won't seek mayoral bid". NY Daily News. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  33. ^ a b Elboghdady, Dina. "Kevin Sheekey ʼ84: GDS'S Knighted Hopper". Georgetown Days. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  34. ^ Bloomberg aide: 'He changed his mind' - CNN Video, November 27, 2019, retrieved December 3, 2019
  35. ^ Costa, Robert (February 1, 2019). "Bloomberg builds an all-star political team — and he might not even run". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  36. ^ "Campaign HQ with David Plouffe | Bloomberg is running because Trump is winning. | Cadence13". Campaign HQ with David Plouffe | Bloomberg is running because Trump is winning. | Cadence13. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  37. ^ Peoples, Steve (November 24, 2019). "Why Michael Bloomberg plans to skip early 2020 primary states". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN  0882-7729. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  38. ^ Fine, Julie (December 2, 2019). "Bloomberg to Skip Early Contests, Focus on Super Tuesday States, Like Texas". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  39. ^ "List of Applications for the Freedom" (PDF). City of London Corporation. December 7, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  40. ^ Daniels, Eugene (April 13, 2022). "POLITICO Playbook: Dems split over Biden gas price moves". POLITICO. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  41. ^ "Can Kevin Sheekey Make Mike Bloomberg the Next President? -- New York Magazine - Nymag". New York Magazine. January 25, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2019.

External links

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