Karl Rove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Rove
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| White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy | |
| In office February 8, 2005 – August 31, 2007 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Harriet Miers |
| Succeeded by | Joel Kaplan |
| Senior Advisor to the President | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – August 31, 2007 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by | Barry Jackson |
| Chair of the College Republicans | |
| In office 1973–1977 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Abate |
| Succeeded by | John Brady |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Karl Christian Rove
December 25, 1950 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Utah (no degree) |
Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political expert and advisor. He helped shape political campaigns and government policies. He served as a Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff for George W. Bush. He worked in the Bush administration until August 31, 2007.
Before working in the White House, Rove helped George W. Bush win elections. These included Bush's campaigns for governor of Texas in 1994 and 1998. He also helped Bush win the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004. After leaving the White House, Rove became a political analyst. He writes for Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. He also works as a commentator for Fox News.
Contents
Karl Rove's Early Life and School
Rove was born on Christmas Day in Denver, Colorado. He was the second of five children. He grew up in Sparks, Nevada. His parents separated when he was 19 years old.
In 1965, his family moved to Salt Lake City. Rove went to high school there. He became a very good debater. He was elected student council president in his junior and senior years. Rove was also a Teenage Republican. He led the Utah Federation of Teenage Republicans.
Starting a Political Career
Rove started working in American politics in 1968. He was the Olympus High chairman for former U.S. Senator Wallace F. Bennett's re-election campaign. Through this work, Bennett's son, Robert Foster Bennett, became his friend.
College and Early Political Work
In 1969, Rove started at the University of Utah. He studied political science. He got an internship with the Utah Republican Party. This helped him get a job in 1970 on a Senate campaign in Illinois.
In 1970, Rove used a fake identity to enter a campaign office. He took campaign paper and printed fake flyers for a rally. He distributed these flyers to disrupt the rally. Rove later said it was a "youthful prank" and he regretted it.
College Republicans and the Bush Family
In 1971, Rove left the University of Utah. He took a paid job as the executive director of the College Republican National Committee. He later enrolled at the University of Maryland in College Park but left classes. He said he needed one math class and a foreign language to get his degree.
Rove traveled a lot, teaching young conservatives. He was active in Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign.
In 1973, Rove campaigned to become the National Chairman of the College Republicans. The election was very close. Both Rove and his opponent, Robert Edgeworth, claimed to have won.
George H. W. Bush, who was then the Republican National Committee Chairman, decided the winner. Bush chose Rove to be the chairman of the College Republicans. Rove then introduced Bush to Lee Atwater, who became Bush's main campaign helper later on.
In November 1973, Rove met George W. Bush for the first time. Rove was asked by George H. W. Bush to deliver car keys to his son. Rove later described George W. Bush as having "huge amounts of charisma."
Working in Virginia
In 1976, Rove moved to Virginia to work in politics. He was the Finance Director for the Republican Party of Virginia. Here, he learned to love using direct mail to reach voters.
Working in Texas and Key Campaigns
1977–1991 Political Campaigns
In 1977, Rove moved to Texas. He worked for a state representative. Later that year, he joined a political group in Houston. This group helped start George H. W. Bush's presidential campaign in 1979.
Rove helped Bill Clements win the Texas governor election in 1978. Clements became the first Republican Governor of Texas in over 100 years. Rove worked as a deputy assistant to the governor in 1980 and 1981.
In 1981, Rove started his own company, Karl Rove & Co.. It focused on direct mail for campaigns. His first clients included Governor Bill Clements and Phil Gramm. Rove ran his company until 1999. He sold it to work full-time for George W. Bush's presidential campaign.
Between 1981 and 1999, Rove worked on many campaigns. He was the main strategist for 41 statewide and national races. His candidates won 34 of these races.
George W. Bush's Early Campaigns
Rove advised George W. Bush during his first campaign for Congress in Texas in 1978. Bush did not win that election.
Rove was the first person hired by George H. W. Bush for his 1980 presidential campaign. Bush later became the vice-presidential nominee.
Helping Other Candidates
In 1982, Rove helped Governor Bill Clements in his re-election campaign. Clements lost that race.
Rove also helped Phil Gramm win elections. Gramm was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. In 1984, Rove helped Gramm win a U.S. Senate seat.
Rove handled direct mail for the Reagan-Bush presidential campaign in 1984.
In 1986, Rove helped Clements become governor for a second time. Before a key debate, Rove claimed his office had been secretly listened to. Police investigated but found the listening device had a very small battery. The investigation was stopped.
In 1988, Rove helped Thomas R. Phillips become the first Republican Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. By 1998, Republicans held all nine seats on the Court.
1990 Texas Elections
In 1989, Rove encouraged George W. Bush to run for Texas governor. Bush decided not to run that time.
In 1990, two other candidates Rove worked with won their races. Rick Perry, who later became governor, became agricultural commissioner. Kay Bailey Hutchison became state treasurer.
1993–2000 Campaigns
1993 Kay Bailey Hutchison Senate Campaign Rove helped Hutchison win a special Senate election in June 1993. She won to fill the rest of a Senate term.
1994 George W. Bush Gubernatorial Campaign In 1993, Rove started advising George W. Bush for his successful campaign to become governor of Texas. Bush announced his candidacy in November 1993.
Rove has been accused of using a technique called "push polling." This is when a campaign calls voters and asks questions that spread negative rumors about an opponent. Rove has denied being involved in spreading rumors about his opponent, Ann Richards, during this campaign.
1998 George W. Bush Gubernatorial Campaign Rove was an advisor for Bush's re-election campaign in 1998. Bush's campaign paid Rove's company a lot of money for services like direct mail and voter contact.
2000 George W. Bush Presidential Campaign
In early 1999, Rove sold his direct-mail business, Karl Rove & Co.. Selling his company was a condition George W. Bush had set. Bush wanted Rove to work full-time as his chief strategist for the presidential campaign.
During the Republican primary, Rove was accused of spreading false rumors about John McCain. Rove denies this accusation.
Working in the George W. Bush Administration
When George W. Bush became president in January 2001, Rove became his Senior Advisor. After Bush's successful 2004 re-election, Rove was also named Deputy Chief of Staff. In a speech, Bush publicly thanked Rove, calling him "the architect" of his victory.
Role in the Iraq War
Rove played a key role in the events leading up to the Iraq War. In 2002 and 2003, Rove led meetings of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG). This group was formed to explain why the White House believed Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States.
The group helped write speeches for Bush administration officials. These speeches focused on the idea that Iraq had dangerous weapons. Rove's task force helped coordinate these messages.
In 2015, Rove defended the decision to invade Iraq. He said Saddam Hussein was a threat. In 2010, Rove said his biggest mistake was not pushing back against the idea that the Bush administration lied about the war.
Valerie Plame Controversy
In 2003, a former ambassador, Joseph C. Wilson IV, claimed that Rove shared the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame. Plame was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee. This was seen as a way to get back at Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration.
Later, it was found that another official, Richard L. Armitage, was responsible for the leak. An investigation led to charges against Lewis "Scooter" Libby for lying and blocking justice. Libby was found guilty.
In 2006, prosecutors said they would not charge Rove with any wrongdoing. On August 31, 2007, Karl Rove resigned from his White House job.
After the 2006 Elections
In 2006, Rove believed Republicans would keep control of Congress. However, the Democrats won both houses of Congress in the election. Rove said that some Republican losses were due to scandals and others because candidates did not react quickly enough to threats.
Congressional Testimony
In 2008 and 2009, Rove was asked by Congress to testify about certain matters. These included questions about the dismissal of U.S. attorneys. Rove and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers later agreed to testify under oath.
In July 2009, Rove testified before the House Judiciary Committee. He answered questions about the dismissal of U.S. attorneys. The Committee concluded that Rove had played a significant role in these dismissals.
Life After the White House
Activities in 2008
After leaving the White House, Rove began writing for Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. He also became a political analyst for Fox News. Rove was an informal advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain in 2008.
His book, Courage and Consequence, was published in March 2010.
In March 2008, Rove spoke at the University of Iowa. He was met with some protests from students.
In July 2008, Rove defended his role as a news analyst for Fox News.
Since 2009
In 2009, Rove was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame. This caused some debate due to political disagreements.
In 2010, Rove helped start American Crossroads. This is a Republican group that raises money for elections. Rove advises this group.
In 2013, Rove and American Crossroads created the Conservative Victory Project. Its goal is to support conservative candidates who can win elections.
Rove's history book, The Triumph of William McKinley, was published in 2015.
In 2017, Rove's group One Nation raised nearly $17 million.
Rove advised Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. In May 2020, Rove criticized former president Obama for comments about the government's response to the coronavirus.
In the fall of 2021, Rove was a guest professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught a class on modern American political campaigns. He invited many guest speakers for students to interview.
Karl Rove's Personal Life
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Rove married Valerie Mather Wainwright in 1976. They divorced in 1980. In 1986, Rove married Darby Tara Hickson. She is a graphic designer. They have one son, Andrew Madison Rove. Rove and Hickson divorced in 2009. In June 2012, Rove married lobbyist Karen Johnson.
Rove lives in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. He also has a house near Austin, Texas. In 2002, Rove built a home in Rosemary Beach, Florida. This home includes a television studio for his news appearances.
In 2010, Rove stated that he is a practicing Christian. He attends an Episcopal church in Washington and an Anglican church in Texas.
See also
In Spanish: Karl Rove para niños
