Nick Ayers

James Nicholas (Nick) Ayers (born 1982) is a political strategist and the former campaign manager for Tim Pawlenty's 2012 Presidential Campaign.^[1] Previously, he served as executive director of the Republican Governors Association from January 2007 to January 2011.^[2]

In November 2010, Ayers was identified as a potential replacement for Michael Steele's position as chair of the Republican National Committee.^[2] However, he declined to run, and in January 2011 was named to head the transition team for newly elected RNC Chair Reince Priebus, together with former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie.^[3]

Early life and education

A native of the U.S. state of Georgia (he grew up in Austell and Mableton, in southern Cobb County),^[4][5] Ayers was raised by parents who voted for Bill Clinton and H. Ross Perot in 1992. Ayers told The New Republic that back then, he was "high on" Clinton and then-Gov. Zell Miller, a Democrat. Later, he worked at a bank owned by the family of a more liberal Democratic Governor, Roy Barnes.^[6]

Ayers graduated from South Cobb High School in 2000.^[7] As a student at Kennesaw State University, Ayers joined the College Republicans, becoming president of the school's chapter. During this time, he met Sonny Perdue, then a Republican state senator planning to run for Governor. Ayers joined Perdue's campaign, which was successful in unseating Democratic incumbent Roy Barnes, making Perdue the first Republican Governor of Georgia since since Reconstruction.^{[8] [4][9][10]}

Career as a political operative

In 2004, at age 22, he was named manager of Perdue's re-election committee. He was cited as one of the Republican Party's five "fastest rising stars in the nation" by the Atlanta Journal Constitution along with the likes of then-Louisiana Congressman Bobby Jindal.^[11] Two years later, the Governor was re-elected by a 20-point margin in an otherwise Democratic year, with Ayers having served as manager for the entire campaign.^[12]

On October 25, 2006, less than two weeks before election day, Ayers was arrested by the Georgia State Patrol for driving under the influence of alcohol.^[13] After Ayers was named as campaign manager of former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's 2012 presidential campaign, the Washington City Paper obtained the video from the camera in the arresting state patrolman's vehicle and released it to the public, stating the video shows "Ayers failing the DWI test, as well as his classless ride to the station during which he talks up his political connections and his abiding respect for law-enforcement." ^[14]

In 2007, he was named to head the RGA.^[4] At this point, Perdue was serving a one-year stint as RGA Chairman. Ayers and his longtime Georgia associate, Paul Bennecke (just named RGA's Political Director) proposed an unprecedented four-year plan to professionalize the committee's operation and implement a long-range strategy, leading up to the 2010 midterm elections, when 37 Governors would be elected. Ayers's plan was accepted by the Governors, and he and Bennecke served through four gubernatorial cycles encompassing all 50 states.^[15] When Ayers began at RGA, Republicans were reeling from a terrible 2006 cycle, and held only 22 statehouses. When Ayers left in early 2011, the GOP held 29 Governorships, a net gain of seven (including Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Virginia).

Ayers lives in Atlanta with his wife Jamie (Floyd), from Houston County, Ga. They were married in May 2005; Mrs. Ayers, herself a political fundraiser and CEO of The Jamieson Group, Inc., is a second cousin of Gov. Perdue.^[4][5] He earned his college degree from Kennesaw in 2009.^[4] Ayers also studied International and Government Affairs at the University of Surrey at Roehampton in London.^[16]

References

1. ^ Fabian, Jordan (11 April 2011). Pawlenty Taps Campaign Manager., The Hill, Retrieved April 11, 2011
2. ^ ^{a b} Weiner, Juli (18 November 2010). Is Heartthrob Nick Ayers Man Enough to Replace Michael Steele?, Vanity Fair (magazine), Retrieved November 18, 2010
3. ^ Cummings, Jeanne (28 January 2011). http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48327.html, Retrieved January 29, 2011
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} Horwitz, Jason (27 April 2010). Young Nick Ayers has full-grown plans for a Republican return to the White House, The Washington Post, Retrieved November 18, 2010
5. ^ ^{a b} (1 May 2006) Ayers a rising star in Ga.'s Republican Party, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Retrieved November 18, 2010
6. ^ Silverman, Amanda, He Hasn't Lost Anything Yet, The New Republic, 2 November 2009, http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/he-hasnt-lost-anything-yet
7. ^ Howard, Marcus E. (16 August 2010). Cobb native becomes power player in D.C., Marietta Daily Journal, Retrieved November 18, 2010
8. ^ Silverman, Amanada, He Hasn't Lost Anything Yet, The New Republic, 2 November 2009, http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/he-hasnt-lost-anything-yet
9. ^ (26 September 2010). Power Player of the Week: Nick Ayers, Fox News Channel, Retrieved November 18, 2010
10. ^ (13 January 2003). Perdue greets the people, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Retrieved November 18, 2010 ("Perdue trusted 19-year-old Nick Ayers to keep him on schedule during the campaign. It was a heady experience for a teenager ...")
11. ^ http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_83638.asp
12. ^ (1 December 2006). Perdue campaign manager to lead RGA, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Retrieved November 18, 2010
13. ^ Pinto, Nick, Nick Ayers, Pawlenty's new campaign manager, was charged with drunk driving in 2006, Washington Citypaper, 12 April 2011, http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2011/04/nick_ayers_drunk_driving_pawlenty_campaign_manager_dwi_dui.php
14. ^ Pinto, Nick, Watch Nick Ayers, Tim Pawlenty's presidential campaign manager, get arrested for DWI [VIDEO], Washington Citypaper, http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2011/05/nick_ayers_dwi_arrest_video_pawlenty.php
15. ^ Silverman, Amanada, He Hasn't Lost Anything Yet, The New Republic, 18 May 2011, http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/he-hasnt-lost-anything-yet
16. ^ http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_83638.asp

External links

• Staff bios, RGA.org

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