Jill Hazelbaker

Jill Hazelbaker is a political campaign spokesperson and campaign staff member for candidates of the Republican party.

Hazelbaker is currently the national communications director for John McCain's presidential campaign. A recent MSNBC online piece listed her as one of eight in McCain's "candidate brain trust," making her one of the candidate's closest and most senior advisers. [cite web|title=Candidate Brain Trusts|url=http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/ArtAndPhoto-Fronts/USNEWS/Projects/CandidatesBrainTrust/Flash_BrainTrusts888.swf|publisher=MSNBC]

Hazelbaker's name earlier came to public attention in connection with an accusation of astroturfing cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/nyregion/21blog.html|title=A Blog Suspects That an Aide to Kean Posted Jabs at Menendez |last=Miller|first=Jonathan|date=2006-09-21|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=2008-09-23] at the time she was press secretary for Tom Kean Jr.'s 2006 campaign for the US Senate in New Jersey. Hazelbaker denied involvement in those activities.

Early life and career

A native of Salem, Oregon, Hazelbaker attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, studying Political Science while she worked for the school newspaper the Oregon Daily Emerald. [ [http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2002_record&page=E1369&position=all July 25 2002 Congressional Tribute] from Congressman Greg Walden]

While a student, Hazelbaker did a congressional internship in Washington, D.C. for Rep. Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican.

In 2002, she worked on Sen. Gordon Smith's 2002 re-election campaign. In 2004, she worked to help Republican Jim Zupancic in his uphill and ultimately unsuccessful campaign against U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley. That led to a short stint at the New York-based consulting firm, Mercury Consulting, according to a recent article in The Oregonian. cite web | title = 'Dynamic Duck duo' help propel McCain's campaign |url = http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/08/dynamic_duck_duo_help_propel_m.html |author = Jeff Mapes | publisher =The Oregonian |date=August 31 2008]

2006 US Senate campaign in New Jersey

Hazelbaker served as a campaign spokeswoman for the 2006 US Senate campaign of Republican Thomas Kean Jr., who was ultimately defeated after a hard-fought campaign against the incumbent, Democrat Robert Menendez. Charges against Menendez of past corruption formed a centerpiece of the Kean campaign. [cite web | title = Kean Faults Menendez in 80's Corruption Case, but History Begs to Differ |url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9402EFD71630F936A15755C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |author = Jim Dwyer | publisher =New York Times |date=June 25, 2006 | accessdate =2007-10-28 ] [cite web | title = Sometimes Mud Sticks to the Thrower |url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDE1F3FF931A25752C1A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |author = Laura Mansnerus | publisher =New York Times |date=November 12, 2006 | accessdate =2007-10-28 ]

New Jersey graduate student Juan Melli, founder of a weblog and online forum called "Blue Jersey", noticed that between July and September one IP address had registered four different accounts, each one claiming to be a Democrat but posting multiple anti-Menendez comments using pseudonyms like "usedtobeblue" and "cleanupnj". The same IP address [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/70.90.20.85 Wikipedia Internet Protocol address] ] was also used for multiple Wikipedia edits attacking Menendez. [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Menendez&diff=prev&oldid=64678351 Wikipedia diff] ] [ [http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/something-wiki-this-way-comes/ "New York Times Empirezone blog"] ] This IP address had also been used to send emails signed by Hazelbaker to other correspondents, according to the New York Times. [ [http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/blue-jerseys-troll-hunt/ "empirezoneblogs.nytimes.com] ]

Hazelbaker and Kean both denied that she had played any role in astroturfing, although neither denied that the activity originated from a Kean campaign computer. Hazelbaker told a New Yorker reporter, "It's nonsense...We have hundreds of volunteers coming through here. It could’ve been anyone. Or someone could just sit on our front porch and use our wireless connection and our I.P. address." [cite web | title = Dirty Wikitricks | author = Nick Paumgarten | date = | November 6, 2006 | accessdate = September 21, 2008 | url = http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/11/06/061106ta_talk_paumgarten ]

The Kean campaign also drew scrutiny over its relationship with opposition researcher Christopher Lyon. Kean staffers denied that Lyon worked for Kean directly. A New York Times article about Lyon's role includes Hazelbaker's response to the issue:

"I think the selective outrage here is a little laughable," said Hazelbaker, a Kean spokeswoman, who added that Mr. Menendez's former law partner, who was at his side when he was sworn in as a senator, had been convicted of dealing cocaine. [cite web | title =A Behind-the-Scenes Player Draws Notice in New Jersey | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/nyregion/05hudson.html |author = Laura Mansnerus and Mike McIntire | publisher =New York Times |date=October 5, 2006 | accessdate =2008-04-11 ]

The Oregonian quoted Hazelbaker's reflecting on the Senate campaign, "People are not afraid to personally attack you if they think it is in the interests of their candidate," she says. "You have to keep a smile on your face and keep your head down and keep working. ... I loved it, but you have to learn to take your lumps."

John McCain Communications Director

On 2006-12-21 Hazelbaker was hired to serve as New Hampshire communications director on the staff of John McCain. [ [http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/mccain/mccainorgnh.html McCain.org] ] Following a shakeup on the McCain campaign in the summer of 2007, most of McCain's media team resigned. Hazelbaker was then promoted to national communications director, to be based out of Washington, D.C. [ [http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/07/its_official_mccains_press_sta.php "The Atlantic.com"] ]

Press stories in late 2007 and early 2008 quote Hazelbaker discussing aspects of the McCain campaign including fundraising, poll results, and countering a potentially lethal New York Times story. [ [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8629.html "McCain turns tables on Times"] ] Such stories describe her job giving varied titles, such as "the campaign's national spokeswoman" [ [http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071005/NEWS09/710050396/-1/ENT06 Des Moines Register] ] , "press secretary for the McCain campaign", [" [http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/WEEKEND01/70919002/1001 "Washington Times"] ] and " McCain Communications Director." [ [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/10/02/2007-10-02_jews__muslims_join_to_oppose_mccain_rema.html "New York Daily News"] ]

Hazelbaker has been profiled in Glamour Magazine, calling her "McCain's Press Pro." [ [http://www.glamour.com/news/articles/2007/12/powerwomen?currentPage=2 "How to love a crazy job"] ] In February, 2008 she was cited in the AP as one of the "5 People Who Run McCain's Campaign." [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4304867 "McCain Advisers Chart a New Direction"] ] The Independent profiled her in the piece on "The people who sell presidents." [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20080204/ai_n21225650/pg_2 "The people who sell presidents"] ]

A recent article in The Oregonian quotes Greg Strimple, "a prominent GOP consultant who works with the McCain campaign," praising Hazelbaker together with John McCain adviser Steve Schmidt, for "bring [ing] message discipline to the [McCain campaign] operation." Hazelbaker "has an ear for campaigns," Strimple says. "She understands the music."cite web | title = 'Dynamic Duck duo' help propel McCain's campaign |url = http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/08/dynamic_duck_duo_help_propel_m.html |author = Jeff Mapes | publisher =The Oregonian |date=August 31 2008]

On August 10, 2008, the New York Times described McCain's campaign as "divided" in the wake of a disagreement with Hazelbaker over her criticism of Obama's overseas trip in July. [cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/us/politics/10mccain.html?ex=1376107200&en=dbc0757f9fc9ddd4&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|title=In Loose Style, McCain Leads a Camp Divided|last=Nagourney|first=Adam|coauthors=Jim Rutenberg|date=2008-08-10|publisher=New York Times|pages=A1|accessdate=2008-08-11] Hazelbaker denounced Obama's trip as a "campaign rally overseas," but McCain corrected her remarks, saying that he was glad Obama had visited Iraq and Afghanistan, and saw political overtones only in his visits to other countries. [cite web|url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/18/1206398.aspx|title=Obama vs. McCain: Travel Politics|last=Montanaro|first=Dominico|date=2008-07-18|publisher=MSNBC|accessdate=2008-08-11]

According to the Wall Street Journal, however, "When McCain's campaign plane landed in Michigan that day, however, the candidate talked to reporters to clarify his original remarks. The Iraq and Afghanistan portion of the trip, he said, was not political but the subsequent swing through Europe was. 'If he has political rallies in other places, obviously then it's a political trip. But I was speaking specifically about Iraq and Afghanistan and I believe that… this will not be a place for political rallies or politicization but the rest of the trip, then we'll see what happens,' McCain said." cite news|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/07/17/obamas-trip-causes-discord-in-mccain-camp/|title=Obama’s Trip Causes Discord in McCain Camp|publisher=Washington Wire - WSJ.com]

Asked to clarify whether he believed the European visit was simply a photo opportunity, he said: "Apparently it's going to be. If he's going to have rally in Germany at the Brandenburg Gate, which is what is being publicly stated. Of course, if you have political rallies, then it's a political event."

A recent Oregonian article profiling Hazelbaker and her campaign colleague Tucker Bounds describes how both are "in McCain's Arlington, Va., headquarters before the regular 7:15 a.m. strategy meeting held by top aides. It's not unusual for them to be there until 10 or 11 at night -- and they're often still fielding calls after they've gone home." The article quotes Hazelbaker on her busy schedule, "You have to try to keep your cool and keep a smile and have fun as much as you can. These are incredibly serious and difficult jobs. You are trying to elect someone to the presidency."

Hazelbaker appears regularly on national cable and network news programs, such as CBS' "The Early Show," where she recently commented on John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate:

"John McCain is going to make the choice from his heart. He's going to choose someone who can be a partner in governing. He's going to choose someone who brings character and principle to the table and who shares his priorities. And I'm confident that he's going to make a great pick," Hazelbaker said. [cite news|url=http://www.wral.com/news/political/story/3453209/|title=CBS: McCain names Alaska governor as VP|last=Sidoti|first=Liz|date=2008-08-29|publisher=AP]

References

External links

* [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/06/18/2008-06-18_john_mccain_backed_by_army_of_women_in_m.html John McCain Backed by an Army of Women]
* [http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060921-025215-2540r UPI story cites Hazelbaker's denial of allegations]