60 Facts About Ed Gillespie

Edward Walter Gillespie was born on August 1,1961 and is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the President from 2007 to 2009 during the Presidency of George W Bush.

In 2012 Gillespie was a senior member of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign.

Ed Gillespie ran in the 2014 United States Senate election in Virginia.

Ed Gillespie ran for Governor of Virginia in the 2017 election.

Ed Gillespie was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, and raised in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township, New Jersey.

Ed Gillespie is the son of Conny and Sean Patrick Gillespie, an immigrant from Ireland who grew up in North Philadelphia.

Ed Gillespie's parents owned a small grocery store in New Jersey, and Gillespie worked there after school.

Ed Gillespie is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and Pemberton Township High School.

One of his co-workers there was an intern for Representative Andy Ireland of Florida, and through him, Ed Gillespie got the same job after he graduated from college.

Ed Gillespie, raised in a Democratic family, began his political career as intern for Andy Ireland, at the time a Democrat from Florida.

In 1999, Gillespie worked as the Press Secretary for the Presidential campaign of John Kasich until his withdrawal from the race and endorsement of George W Bush.

In 2000, Ed Gillespie served as senior communications advisor for the presidential campaign of Bush, organizing the party convention program in Philadelphia for Bush's nomination and Bush's inauguration ceremony.

Ed Gillespie played an aggressive role as spokesman for the Bush campaign during the vote recount in Florida.

In 1997, Ed Gillespie joined the lobbying firm BGR Group, and advised Senate Republicans during the impeachment of Bill Clinton.

Ed Gillespie has said that he was unaware of Enron's deceptive accounting practices.

In 2016, Ed Gillespie lobbied on behalf of the health insurance company Anthem, as the nation's second-largest insurance firm tried to merge with third-largest insurance firm Cigna.

Ed Gillespie voluntarily released the list of his clients, disclosing more than is required by state law.

In 2003, Ed Gillespie was selected as Chairman of the RNC, serving in that role through the 2004 elections that saw President Bush win re-election and Republicans retain control of the House and Senate.

Ed Gillespie did not give up his stake in the lobbying firm when he took that job, which caused controversy.

Ed Gillespie's book Winning Right was released in September 2006.

Ed Gillespie served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia from December 2006 to June 2007.

Ed Gillespie had been tapped by Allen as a political adviser for a possible presidential run in 2008 before that loss.

In February 2009, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced that Ed Gillespie would serve as general chairman of his campaign for governor.

Later in 2007, the Washington Post reported that Ed Gillespie had taken a substantial pay cut to become Bush's counselor.

In 2009, Ed Gillespie was the chairman of Bob McDonnell's successful campaign for governor of Virginia.

In January 2010, Ed Gillespie was announced in as the national chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee, which helps elect state attorneys general, lieutenant governors, secretaries of state and state house and senate candidates.

Ed Gillespie was not legally listed as the RSLC chairman until February 2011, when the organization filed updated documents with the IRS.

In December 2013, Ed Gillespie told Politico that he was considering a first-time political run in 2014 against Mark Warner, a popular Democratic incumbent US Senator in Virginia.

Ed Gillespie named Chris Leavitt, campaign manager of Mark Obenshain's 2013 run for Virginia Attorney general, his campaign manager.

In October 2015, Ed Gillespie confirmed reports that he was preparing to run for governor in 2017.

Ed Gillespie was considered the favorite to win the Republican nomination.

On June 13,2017, Ed Gillespie narrowly defeated his primary opponent Corey Stewart to win the Republican nomination for governor and was set to face incumbent Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, the Democratic nominee, in the November general election.

Ed Gillespie doesn't discuss Trump unless he's prompted to do so.

Ed Gillespie doesn't criticize the President, but he doesn't make an effort to embrace him, either.

Ed Gillespie criticized Northam for casting the deciding "no" vote to stop a Republican bill which would have banned sanctuary cities in Virginia.

The Washington Post and CNN noted that there are no actual sanctuary cities in Virginia and The Washington Post editorial board condemned the ads in an editorial called "Ed Gillespie's ads are poisonous to Virginia and the nation".

Ed Gillespie himself acknowledged that Virginia did not have sanctuary cities.

Ed Gillespie received 1.17 million votes to Northam's 1.40 million in the election.

The New York Times reported in 2014 that Ed Gillespie had "ties to both Republican grass-roots and establishment wings".

Ed Gillespie was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee in his 2017 run for governor.

Ed Gillespie pledged to sign legislation to defund Planned Parenthood; Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed such legislation.

Ed Gillespie said that removing the monuments was an attempt to erase history.

Ed Gillespie said a better remedy would be to erect statues honoring people like Douglas Wilder, a former Virginia governor who was the nation's first African-American to be elected governor.

In September 2017 Ed Gillespie called for a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut.

Ed Gillespie has called for the expansion of publicly funded schools that are operated privately.

In September 2017 Ed Gillespie supported President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Ed Gillespie supported President Trump's decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce emissions from coal-burning power plants.

Ed Gillespie opposes efforts at the state level to limit carbon emissions.

Ed Gillespie opposes Virginia joining a so-called "state climate alliance" to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Ed Gillespie proposed prohibiting candidates from using funds raised for one campaign in a campaign for a different office; prohibiting fundraising during special legislative sessions; and live-streaming certain public cabinet meetings and all agency and board meetings.

Ed Gillespie has called for rescinding legislation that banned members of the public from carrying firearms in state government buildings.

Ed Gillespie is open to the idea of banning bump stocks, which allow a semi-automatic firearm to fire in rapid succession.

In July and August 2017, Ed Gillespie said that he opposes "sanctuary cities", which adopt policies designed to not prosecute people solely for being undocumented.

In September 2017, Ed Gillespie said that he supported Donald Trump's executive order to ban immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Shortly after the Trump administration announced that it would rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Ed Gillespie said that "dreamers" should not be deported.

In 2004, as chairman of the RNC, Ed Gillespie opposed same-sex marriage and supported the Republican platform plank in support of constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

In 2014, as a candidate for the US Senate, Ed Gillespie renounced this position, saying he no longer supported such an amendment.

Ed Gillespie opposes marijuana decriminalization because it "sends the wrong signal" to young people.

Ed Gillespie favors restoring voting rights to felons "who have paid their debt to society and are living an honest life" but opposes a blanket restoration of rights to all felons.

Ed Gillespie met his wife Cathy at a congressional softball game and together they have a son and two daughters.