Three Capitol Hill veterans are taking on new roles at American Crossroads as the conservative super PAC revs up to try to help claim the Senate for Republicans this fall.
“I’m from Louisville, Ky., so I would love to see a Majority Leader McConnell,” said Jennifer Fay, who was promoted to chief of staff this week after serving as director of operations since August 2011.
Fay, 33, started on the Hill as an aide to then-Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-N.Y., and later did a stint in the office of then-Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. Afterward she joined her brother, Jeffery A. Green, at his boutique lobby shop, J.A. Green & Co.
“That was a family business, and it all started at the kitchen table,” she said. “Actually, working for my brother wasn’t all that different than working at American Crossroads. In both places, we keep overhead low and try to put all the money on the target.”
The conservative super PAC, which was set up by Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie in 2010, is abuzz with activity as it readies a new batch of paid media in support of Republican candidates. With this year’s midterm elections only seven months away, the group is salivating at the prospect of retaking the Senate and expanding the Republican majority in the House.
“The workload has picked up quite a bit,” said Matt Wall, who has been promoted to research director from research analyst at the PAC’s Washington headquarters. “We’re expecting a very busy cycle.”
New at Crossroads for the midterm stretch is Paul Lindsay, who has signed on as communications director. Born and raised in Washington, Lindsay attended Gonzaga College High School, just a few blocks from the Capitol, and interned for then-Rep Christopher Shays, R-Conn., during his senior year. As an undergraduate at James Madison University, he spent his summers working as a doorkeeper in the Senate. “It was a great opportunity for a political junkie like me,” he said. “Some days it was just quorum calls, but other days it was more exciting.”
After graduating, Lindsay became an aide to Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., just a few months before the Gulf Coast was battered by Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, Lindsay was hired by John McCain’s presidential campaign as communications director for the battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Four years after that, he served as communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2012 election cycle. Lindsay, 32, comes to American Crossroads from Powell Tate/Weber Shandwick, where he served as a vice president in the firm’s public-affairs practice.
Wall, who was raised in the Denver suburbs, also has some experience on the Hill. After receiving a degree in political science from Colorado State University, he taught English in Argentina and then interned for then-Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., eventually becoming his legislative assistant. When Tancredo retired from Congress in 2009, Wall joined Managed Funds Association, a trade association for hedge funds, managed future funds, and other alternative investments. Wall, 29, joined American Crossroads in 2011.
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