Ed Gillespie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ed Gillespie
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Gillespie in 2014
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| Counselor to the President | |
| In office July 5, 2007 – January 20, 2009 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Dan Bartlett |
| Succeeded by | Pete Rouse (2011) |
| Chair of the Virginia Republican Party | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – June 13, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Kate Obenshain |
| Succeeded by | John Hager |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office July 25, 2003 – January 20, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Marc Racicot |
| Succeeded by | Ken Mehlman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edward Walter Gillespie
August 1, 1961 Mount Holly, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1984–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 1984) |
| Spouse | Cathy Gillespie |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Catholic University (BA) |
Edward Walter Gillespie, born on August 1, 1961, is an American politician and strategist. He has held important roles in the Republican Party. From 2003 to 2005, he was the 61st Chair of the Republican National Committee. He also served as a top advisor, called Counselor to the President, for President George W. Bush from 2007 to 2009.
Gillespie has also worked as a lobbyist, helping businesses and groups connect with government officials. He co-founded a lobbying firm called Quinn Gillespie & Associates. In 2012, he was a senior advisor for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. He has also run for office himself, including for the U.S. Senate in Virginia in 2014 and for Governor of Virginia in 2017.
Early Life and Education
Ed Gillespie was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey. He grew up in the Browns Mills area of Pemberton Township, New Jersey. His father, Sean Patrick Gillespie, was an immigrant from Ireland. Ed's parents owned a small grocery store where he worked after school.
He went to Pemberton Township High School. Later, he graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.. While in college, he started working on Capitol Hill. His first job was helping with parking for the U.S. Senate. This led to an internship with a U.S. Representative.
Political Journey
Gillespie grew up in a family that supported the Democratic Party. He started his political career as an intern for Andy Ireland, who was a Democrat at the time. In 1984, Ireland became a Republican, and Gillespie followed. He said he liked President Ronald Reagan's way of leading.
Gillespie worked for the Republican National Committee (RNC) in 1985. The RNC is a group that supports Republican candidates. For ten years, he was a top helper for Dick Armey, a leader in the House of Representatives. He also helped write the "Contract With America" in 1994. This was a plan of goals for Republicans.
In 1996, he was the communications director for the RNC. This meant he was in charge of how the RNC talked to the public. He also worked on George W. Bush's presidential campaigns in 1999 and 2000. He helped organize events and spoke for the campaign during the vote count in Florida.
Working as a Lobbyist
In 1997, Gillespie joined a lobbying firm. Lobbyists work to influence government decisions for their clients. In 2000, he started his own lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates, with Jack Quinn. This firm quickly became very successful.
His firm worked for many large companies. For example, they worked for Enron, a company that later faced serious problems. Gillespie has said he did not know about Enron's issues at the time. The firm also worked for companies like AT&T, Bank of America, and Microsoft.
In 2016, Gillespie's firm worked for the health insurance company Anthem. Anthem wanted to merge with another large insurance company, Cigna. However, a judge stopped the merger. The judge said it would make health insurance more expensive and reduce choices for people.
Gillespie closed his lobbying firm before running for governor in 2017. Some people worried that his past work for companies might cause a conflict of interest if he became governor. However, Gillespie shared a list of his past clients. He also said he would put his money in a special account called a blind trust. This helps avoid conflicts of interest.
Leading the RNC
In 2003, Ed Gillespie was chosen to be the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He led the RNC during the 2004 elections. In these elections, President Bush won re-election. Republicans also kept control of the House and Senate.
He did not give up his share in his lobbying firm when he took this job. This caused some discussion. During the campaign, he was sometimes called "President Bush's pit bull." This meant he was a strong and tough supporter.
In 2005, President Bush asked Gillespie to help choose a new judge for the Supreme Court. This process led to the selection of Samuel Alito. Gillespie also wrote a book called Winning Right, which came out in 2006.
From 2006 to 2007, Gillespie was the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. He also advised other Republican politicians in Virginia.
White House Counselor
In 2007, President Bush asked Gillespie to join the White House full-time. He became a Counselor to the President. His job was to help improve President Bush's public approval. He also helped explain the strategy for the Iraq War.
Gillespie took a big pay cut to work in the White House. He earned much less than he did at his lobbying firm. Even so, he had built up a lot of wealth from his previous work.
After the White House
After leaving the White House in 2009, Gillespie continued to be active in politics. He was the chairman for Bob McDonnell's successful campaign for governor of Virginia.
In 2010, Gillespie became the national chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC). This group helps elect Republicans to state-level offices. There were some questions about how some money was handled by the RSLC. Gillespie was paid by the RSLC for his work.
In 2010, Gillespie also helped start a group called American Crossroads with Karl Rove. This group helps raise money for Republican campaigns. It works independently from the main Republican Party. In 2012, Gillespie became a senior advisor for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Running for U.S. Senate in 2014
In 2013, Gillespie said he was thinking about running for the U.S. Senate in Virginia. He decided to run against Mark Warner, who was already a U.S. Senator.
In January 2014, he officially started his campaign. In June 2014, he became the Republican candidate. Even though polls showed him far behind, Gillespie came very close to winning. He lost to Mark Warner by a small amount, less than 1%. He conceded the race on November 7, 2014.
Running for Governor in 2017
After his close Senate race, many people thought Gillespie would run for Governor of Virginia in 2017. He confirmed his plans in 2015 and officially announced his candidacy in November 2016. He was expected to win the Republican nomination.
On June 13, 2017, Gillespie won the Republican nomination. He then faced Ralph Northam, the Democratic candidate, in the general election.
During the campaign, Gillespie focused on economic issues. He tried to balance his support for President Donald Trump with the fact that Trump was not very popular in Virginia. He did not often mention Trump by name. Vice President Mike Pence held a rally with Gillespie.
Gillespie's campaign used ads about illegal immigration and Confederate monuments. Former President Barack Obama criticized Gillespie's ads about gang violence. Obama said these ads caused fear. Gillespie said he rejected white supremacists after a rally in Charlottesville.
Gillespie criticized Northam for voting against a bill that would have banned "sanctuary cities" in Virginia. Gillespie and Trump said Northam was responsible for gang activity. However, news organizations pointed out that Virginia does not have sanctuary cities.
A group supporting Northam released an ad that showed a truck chasing minority children. The ad was pulled after a real-life truck attack in New York City. Northam said he would not have chosen to run that ad.
In the election, Gillespie received about 1.17 million votes (45%). Ralph Northam received about 1.40 million votes (54%) and won the election.
Political Views
Ed Gillespie is seen as someone who connects with both the traditional and more conservative parts of the Republican Party.
Confederate Monuments
In 2017, Gillespie signed a petition against removing Confederate monuments in Virginia. He said removing them would be like trying to erase history. He suggested that instead, Virginia should also put up statues honoring people like Douglas Wilder, who was the first African-American elected governor.
Economy
In September 2017, Gillespie suggested cutting income taxes by 10% for everyone.
Education
Gillespie supports having more publicly funded schools that are run privately. These are called charter schools.
Energy and Environment
In 2014, Gillespie said there is "ample scientific evidence" that contributes to climate change. However, he also said he respects those who have different views.
In 2017, Gillespie supported President Trump's decision to leave the Paris Climate Agreement. This agreement aims to fight climate change. He also supported ending the Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce pollution from power plants. Gillespie does not support state efforts to limit carbon pollution. He also supports drilling for oil and gas offshore. He supports large pipelines like the Keystone Pipeline.
Ethics Laws
During his 2017 campaign, Gillespie promised to improve ethics in government. He wanted to ban candidates from using campaign money for personal things. He also wanted to make officials wait two years before lobbying their old offices. He proposed making financial information public more often.
Guns
Gillespie has called for allowing people to carry firearms in state government buildings again. He is open to the idea of banning "bump stocks." These devices allow a semi-automatic gun to fire very quickly.
Health Care
In 2014, Gillespie said he was against the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). He wanted to "repeal and replace it." In 2017, he said he was against expanding Medicaid. Medicaid is a program that helps low-income people get health care. He suggested allowing insurance companies to sell health plans across state lines.
Immigration
Gillespie is against "sanctuary cities." These are cities that have policies to not prosecute people just for being in the country without permission. He supports stronger enforcement of immigration laws.
In 2017, Gillespie supported Donald Trump's order to ban immigration from some Muslim countries. He also said that "dreamers" should not be deported. Dreamers are young people who came to the U.S. as children without permission. In his 2006 book, Gillespie suggested offering temporary work visas to people who are in the U.S. without permission. He still held this view in 2017.
LGBT Rights
In 2004, as RNC chairman, Gillespie was against same-sex marriage. He supported a change to the U.S. Constitution to ban it. In 2014, he changed his view and said he no longer supported such a change.
In 2017, he said he would oppose any laws that tell transgender individuals which bathrooms they can use. He believes local areas should decide on this issue.
Redistricting
In a 2017 debate, Gillespie talked about redistricting (drawing new election district maps). He said it is hard to keep politics out of this process.
Restoring Rights
Gillespie supports giving voting rights back to people who have committed crimes and "paid their debt to society." However, he is against giving rights back to all people who have committed crimes.
Personal Life
Ed Gillespie met his wife, Cathy, at a congressional softball game. They have a son and two daughters together.
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