Michael Signer

Michael "Mike" Signer is an attorney and small businessman, and a democratic activist from Virginia. He is the founder and managing principal of Madison Law & Strategy Group, PLLC,^[1] and the Chair and creator of New Dominion Project, a Virginia-based political action committee.^[2] In his first bid for public office, he ran unsuccessfully for the 2009 Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, receiving some 21.24% of the vote.^[3] For four years, Mike has taught graduate seminars at Virginia Tech’s Master’s Program in Public and International Affairs in Alexandria, Virginia.^[4]

Early life and education

Signer graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia^[5] and magna cum laude from Princeton University. He earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was president of the Law Democrats and co-founder of the American Constitution Society.^[6]

Career and activism

In the 2004 election, Signer served as associate communications director for Wesley Clark's presidential campaign, and later as senior policy adviser for John Edwards.^[7] He also served as election protection director for the Democratic campaign in Virginia.^[6]  Additionally, Signer founded and co-chaired the New Electoral Reform Alliance for Virginia, which successfully fought for statutory fixes in Virginia’s General Assembly.^[8]

Signer joined the administration of Virginia Governor Mark Warner in 2005,^[9] where he was deputy counselor to the governor on Homeland Security and National Guard policy. According to his web site, he counseled the governor on "issues ranging from executive clemency to civil settlements to FOIA requests," and chaired a special committee on the repercussions of DNA analysis in criminal files.^[10] He also served as senior policy advisor and director of the Homeland Security Presidential Transition Initiative at the Center for American Progress, and is a principal at the Truman National Security Project.^[6]He also serves as vice chair of Arlington County’s Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee.^[11]

In the 2008 elections, Signer was the senior strategist for Tom Perriello,^[9] who defeated six-term United States Representative Virgil Goode in Virginia's 5th congressional district.^[12] During the Obama presidential transition, Mike served as an advisor to the State Department Transition Team.^[13]

Signer told a crowd gathered at the 2009 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Richmond that he is running to make the role of lieutenant governor "a bully pulpit" to tackle unresolved issues^[5] and to make the office "more than a steppingstone."^[14]

Signer also wrote Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies, a book on diplomacy, history, and national security. He also founded the E3 Initiative, a group of energy-related companies that has promoted the relationship between energy policy and national security. ^[15]

 In 2010, Mike was a part of a U.S. government sponsored mission that traveled to Panjshir Province, Afghanistan, to monitor Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections.^[16]

Lieutenant Governor campaign

Signer officially announced his campaign for Lieutenant Governor on April 6, 2009 with a tour of 20 events across the state of Virginia.^[17] In the first quarter of 2009, Signer raised $250,000 from more than 800 donors.^[18] Signer has been critical of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling for opposing a House of Delegates measure that would have used federal stimulus money to expand unemployment coverage by $125 million.^[19] He has received the endorsement of prominent rural strategist David "Mudcat" Saunders.^[20].

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (Primary Election)
Year	Winning candidate	Party	Pct	Opponent	Party	Pct	Opponent	Party	Pct
2009	Jody Wagner	Democratic	74%	Michael Signer	Democratic	21%	Jon Bowerbank	Democratic	4%

See also

• Virginia elections, 2009

References

1. ^ www.madisonpllc.com
2. ^ http://www.newdominionproject.com
3. ^ "2009 June Democratic Primary Unofficial Results". State of Virginia. https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/Election/Data/2009/B19D959E-A4DD-4C27-BC08-30C8F2FF2F92/Unofficial/3_s.shtml. Retrieved 2009-06-10. 
4. ^ http://www.mpia.vt.edu/faculty.php?page=signer
5. ^ ^{a b} "3 Dem Gubernatorial Candidates Clash in Richmond". Falls Church News-Press (Falls Church News-Press). 2009-02-15. http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4119:3-dem-gubernatorial-candidates-clash-in-richmond&catid=13:news-stories&Itemid=76. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Michael Signer: Senior Policy Advisor and Director of the Homeland Security Presidential Transition Initiative". Center for American Progress. http://www.americanprogress.org/experts/SignerMichael.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "Michael Signer Looking at LG Race". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). 1/7/09. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2009/01/michael_signer_looking_at_lg_r.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
8. ^ The Washington Post. "A. Michael Signer". http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2009/elections/va/lieutenant-governor/1317/a-michael-signer/. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Virginia Is for Consultant Candidates". Roll Call (Roll Call Inc.). 2/12/09. http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_88/shoptalk/32318-1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
10. ^ New Dominon Project: About Mike Signer. http://newdominionproject.com/about-us/about-mike-signer/
11. ^ Progressive Policy Institute. "Mike Signer". http://www.progressivefix.com/mike-signer. 
12. ^ "Perriello Declares Victory Over Goode". Roll Call (Roll Call Inc.). 11/7/08. http://www.rollcall.com/news/29969-1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
13. ^ Shipman, Tim (2008-10-18). "Barack Obama's team is briefed by Bush staff after warnings about a terrorist attack". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/3224481/Barack-Obamas-team-is-briefed-by-Bush-staff-on-after-warnings-about-a-terrorist-attack.html. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
14. ^ "Virginia Notebook: JJ Dinner Serves Up Answers". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). 2/11/09. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2009/02/virginia_notebook_jj_dinner_se.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12. 
15. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://www.progressivefix.com/e3-initiative. 
16. ^ Signer, Mike. "Stop the Madness: The New Politics of Stunts". http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-signer/stop-the-madness-the-new_b_754318.html. Retrieved 28 February 2011. 
17. ^ "Signer Launches LG Campaign". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). 4/6/09. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2009/04/signer_launches_lg_campaign.html. Retrieved 2009-04/15. 
18. ^ "Signer Begins Lt. Governor Campaign". Arlington Connection (The Connection Newspapers). 4/10/09. http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=327571&paper=60&cat=104. Retrieved 2009-04/15. 
19. ^ "Lieutenant governor hopeful assails GOP on vote". Martinsville Bulletin (Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.). 4/10/09. http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=18440. Retrieved 2009-04/15. 
20. ^ "Local pundit and consultant gives candidate a video boost". The Roanoke Times (The Roanoke Times). 4/9/09. http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/200490. Retrieved 2009-04/15. 

External links

• Mike Signer official website

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