Hall of Fame

Every year the AAPC selects individuals whose careers and activities can serve as inspirations to us all, especially to students and young professionals looking for examples of leadership, longevity and accomplishment. Induction into the AAPC Hall of Fame is the highest honor that the working members of the profession can bestow upon a colleague.

2024

Whit Ayers

Whit Ayres is a leading Washington, D.C. political consultant with 40 years of experience in polling and survey research for high profile political campaigns, associations, and nonprofit organizations. As Founder and President of North Star Opinion Research, a national public opinion and public affairs research firm located in Arlington, Virginia, Whit has provided strategic insights and messaging advice to numerous political clients at all levels of government.

Bill Knapp

Bill Knapp, a veteran political strategist and ad maker, has served as the senior media strategist for six U.S. presidential campaigns and several dozen congressional, gubernatorial, and mayoral races. He’s also been a strategist and communications consultant for Fortune 100 companies and major national nonprofit organizations. With over 35 years in the industry, Bill has extensive experience developing strategy and nationwide ads for major corporations, as well as market research and stakeholder strategic development. He has led efforts for Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, American Express, Motorola, AT&T, and The Business Roundtable, among others.

Celinda Lake

Celinda Lake is one of the Democratic Party’s leading political strategists. In 2020, she was one of two lead pollsters for the Biden campaign. She led the focus groups for Clinton and Gore and is the only Democratic pollster to play key roles in defeating two Republicans. Lake’s polling and strategic advice has helped candidates such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Jon Tester, Senator Debbie Stabenow, and former Governor Bob Wise to groundbreaking wins, and her expertise helped guide former Senator Mark Begich to victory, making him the first Senate candidate in Alaska to oust an incumbent in 50 years.

Steve Sandler

Steve Sandler was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., raised in Bangor, Pa. and graduated with a BS in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. After a short career with the Easton, PA, Express, the local newspaper and as an Associated Press stringer, he entered Johns Hopkins University where he received a MA from the Writing Seminars in 1971. In the mid-70’s, Mr. Sandler became interested in the writing of political radio and television spots, which became his vocation until his death.

2023

Mark Mellman

Mark Mellman, one of the nation’s leading public opinion researchers and communication strategists, is CEO of The Mellman Group, whose clients include prominent politicians, Fortune 500 companies, and major public interest groups. Mellman has helped guide the campaigns of twenty-nine U.S. Senators, ten Governors, over two dozen Members of Congress, and numerous state and local officials. Mellman also served as President of the AAPC, where he made significant contributions to the growth of the Association and its focus on ethical campaigning.

Ed Goeas

Ed Goeas is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Tarrance Group, one of the most respected and successful Republican survey research and strategy teams in American politics. The Tarrance Group serves as the pollster for 30 current Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 12 U.S. Senators, and five Governors. Over the last thirty years, the team has elected hundreds of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, dozens of U.S. Senators, and numerous Governors, along with countless statewide officeholders, State Senators, and State Representatives.

2022

Haley Barbour

Haley Barbour, Founding Partner of BGR Group, returned to BGR in January 2012 after serving two consecutive terms as Governor of Mississippi, including two years as the Chairman of the Republican Governors Association. At BGR, he heads advocacy coalitions, lobbies on behalf of clients and remains a major force in Republican party politics and elections.

Mandy Grunwald

Mandy Grunwald is the founder and president of Grunwald Communications, one of the leading Democratic media firms in the country and the most successful woman owned media consultancy ever. Mandy is one of the few women at the top of the field, has elected numerous Senators and Governors and is the only woman in history to run the advertising for a successful presidential campaign (Bill Clinton’s).

Alexander Patton Gage

Alexander Patton Gage is the founder of G2 Analytics, a leader in political video testing. It is a trusted research provider for presidential, guberantorial, and senatorial campaigns and issues advocacy groups and ballot initiatives.

2021

Ross Bates

Ross Bates (1950-2015) was a pioneer in persuasion mail and modern political consulting. His campaign and advocacy consulting firm developed strategy for clients ranging from local to Presidential campaigns and included advocacy work for environmental and health causes. Ross built strong professional relationships and earned a reputation as a talented, fair, humble advocate for Democratic candidates and causes.

Linda DiVall

As American Viewpoint’s founder, Linda DiVall has provided effective strategies to both political and corporate clients for 30 years. Linda has conducted research on behalf of the RGA, NRCC, NRSC, RNC as well as NRSC and NRCC IE efforts. Her strategic insight has been utilized on policy issues of Social Security, Medicare, retirement security and healthcare as well as providing guidance to the GOP on strategies to counter the gender gap. Linda has also worked as consultant and analyst for CBS Election Night coverage since 1988.

2021 AAPC President’s Award Recipient

Luis A. Miranda Jr.

Luis A. Miranda Jr. is Founding Partner of The MirRam Group, a government affaris, lobbying and political consulting firm in New York City. He has previously served in three New York City mayoral administrations. Mr. Miranda is the Founding President of the Hispanic Federation and past chairman of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation. He is board chair of the Latino Victory Fund and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance. He and his family have supported the relief efforts in Puerto Rico following the destruction of Hurricane Maria in September 2017. They have actively fundraised for the Hispanic Federation’s UNIDOS for Puerto Rico program, raising over $43M to date for community organizations throughout the island.

2019

Donna Lucas

Donna Lucas has earned a reputation as a smart, strategic and successful communications consultant and business woman. Since opening Lucas Public Affairs in 2006, Donna has grown the firm into a team of accomplished public affairs professionals who work collaboratively with clients to explain the complexities around many of the major public policy challenges facing the state – and what can be done to address those challenges.

Alex Castellanos

Alex Castellanos is one of the Republican Party’s best-known and most successful media consultants and strategists. Castellanos has served as communications consultant to seven U.S Presidential campaigns, has helped elect more than a dozen U.S. Senators and Governors, and enjoys nearly four decades of political consulting experience, both in the United States and abroad.

Jim Margolis

Jim Margolis has been successful in helping candidates, corporations, advocacy groups, foundations and government agencies develop strategic communications and advertising programs that impact people’s lives and help change the world. As a founding partner of GMMB, Jim served as a senior advisor to Barack Obama in both the former President’s campaigns for the White House, leading each cycle’s half-billion dollar advertising effort and helping direct the campaign as part of the core strategic team.

2018

Joseph Gaylord

Joeseph Gaylord ranks among the nation’s most experiences political consultants. His 45 years of experience have given him a unique perspective and expertise in strategic message development, media, grass roots, party coalition building, and campaign organization.

Minyon Moore

Minyon Moore is considered one of the nation’s top strategic thinkers with extensive experience in political and corporate affairs and public policy. Minyon joined Dewey Square Group as a principal in 2002 and heads the State and Local Affairs and Multicultural Strategies practice. Clients from Fortune 100 companies to non-profit start-ups have turned to Minyon for her skills in developing effective strategies to address emerging consumer markets. She specializes in building coalitions and brand awareness strategies for corporations while effectively addressing their state and local public policy issues.

Greg Stevens

Greg Stevens was an award-winning producer with over thirty years’ experience in politics, public affairs and journalism. During his career, Greg created and produced advertising for some of America’s most prominent political leaders.

2017

Gale Kaufman

Gale Kaufman is widely acknowledged as the preeminent Democratic issue-based initiative consultant in California. Kaufman has led some of the State’s most significant and successful initiative campaigns since opening her campaign management firm, Kaufman Campaign Consultants in 1987 – a true trailblazer as one of the few female full-service campaign consultants in the country.

Richard A. Viguerie

Richard Viguerie transformed American politics in the 1960s and 1970s by pioneering the use of computerized direct marketing in the political and ideological spheres. His innovative skills and marketing strategies helped build the conservative movement, which then contributed to the election of Ronald Reagan as the first conservative president of the modern era.

Paul Tully

Paul Tully fought tirelessly for Democratic candidates, including in eight consecutive Presidential campaigns. As the National Political Director of the DNC, his efforts and acumen were critical to Bill Clinton’s 1992 victory. Paul inspired and trained a generation of activists on messaging, targeting, and how to run winning campaigns that respected the needs, opinions, and aspirations of voters.

Allen Hoffenblum

Allan Hoffenblum was a widely respected election-guide publisher who was one of the most influential players in California politics for more than a generation. Politicians, journalists, and business and labor leaders relied for years on Hoffenblum’s nonpartisan California Target Book as the most comprehensive guide to the never-ending battles over the state’s congressional and legislative seats.

2016

Eddie Mahe, Jr.

Starting at the grassroots in New Mexico and getting his national stripes through training under the legendary Ray Bliss as a county and state executive Director, he worked most of the country for the NRSC and the NRCC.

Hal Malchow

Hal Malchow is the former Chairman of MSHC Partners, a firm that helped pioneer the use of statistical modeling and control group experiments in politics.

2015

Robert Shrum

Robert M. Shrum is an American political consultant, who has worked on numerous Democratic campaigns.

Lionel Sosa

Lionel Sosa is a Hispanic-American advertising and marketing executive and political consultant.

2014

David Garth

Regarded as a grandfather of modern political advertising, David Garth was a political strategist who worked on over 150 campaigns.

George Gorton

For over thirty years, George Gorton has helped lead national campaigns in Russia, Panama, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Canada and The United States.

Ellen Malcolm

As the founder of EMILY’s List, Ellen Malcolm helped revolutionize politics by leveling the political playing field for women candidates.

Lyn Nofziger

Franklyn “Lyn” Nofziger was an American journalist, conservative Republican political consultant and author.

2013

David Axelrod

David Axelrod is a political consultant and strategist recognized for creating a winning campaign strategy for U.S. President Barack Obama.

David Plouffe

David Plouffe is a a pioneering force in the field of politics, technology and grassroots leadership.

Arthur Finkelstein

Arthur Finkelstein is a well-known Republican political consultant who successfully steered the campaigns of numerous national and international leaders.

V. Lance Tarrance, Jr.

V. Lance Tarrance, Jr. is a leading Republican pollster and political strategist who has conducted hundreds of public opinion studies for national corporations, foundations and elected leaders.

Lee Atwater

Harvey LeRoy Atwater, known universally as Lee, was one of the Republican Party’s best political tacticians.

Robert M. Teeter

Robert M. Teeter served as a Republican strategist for President George H.W. Bush.

2012

Paul Begala

Paul Edward Begala is an American political consultant and political commentator.

James Carville

Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political commentator and media personality who is a prominent figure in the Democratic Party.

Karl Rove

Karl Christian Rove is an American Republican political consultant and policy advisor.

2011

Roger M. Craver
Morris S. Dees
Edward J. Rollins

2010

Charlie Black
Stanley B. Greenberg

2009

Nancy Todd

Nancy Todd is a political consultant and president of Nancy Todd, Inc., an international strategic consulting firm based in Sarasota, FL. Todd’s specialty is controversial issues which have occurred worldwide over the last 30 years.

2008

Ray Strother

Raymond Strother is a pioneer in media consulting and has worked in more than 300 campaigns for governors, senators, house members and candidate for president. He has published two books, an autobiography called Falling Up and a novel, Cottonwood. He is a past president of the AAPC.

2007

Joe Cerrell

Political consultant Joseph R. Cerrell, who played a vital role in the presidential campaigns of Democratic candidates including John F. Kennedy, died on Dec. 3, 2010. He was 75.

Dick Woodward

2005

Thomas Edmonds

2003

Wally Clinton

Wally was an innovative political consultant whose career spanned more than 5 decades. Wally helped pioneer grass-roots communication methods, voter data collection techniques, and campaign tactics to create strategies for winning elections. Wally Clinton, 87, died on March 4, 2024 in Holmes Beach, FL.

Peter D. Hart

2001

Tony Schwartz

1999

William Hamilton

1998

Bob Goodman

Bob Squier

1992

Matt Reese

Legendary political consultant Matthew Reese died on December 1, 1998, at the age of 71. His political career started in 1948, when he helped Huntington’s Maurice “Bernie” Burnside get elected to Congress.

Stuart Spencer

AAPC Founders

Walt DeVries

Joe Napolitan

F. Clifton White

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