Chris LaCivita

Christopher Joseph LaCivita (born 1966) is an American political consultant, and partner in FP1 Strategies, a national public-affairs and campaign firm.

LaCivita is currently a senior advisor to Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1989.

He joined the US Marine Corps, was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received while serving in the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and discharged a sergeant.

Afterwards, he taught part-time at Regent University and began a new career as a political consultant.

Active in Republican politics following his Gulf War service, LaCivita did field work for George F. Allen in central Virginia during his 1991 congressional campaign, then went with him to Capitol Hill, serving as a legislative assistant on foreign and defense policy.

When Allen ran for Governor of Virginia in 1993, LaCivita organized in the Richmond area, Southside and central Virginia, then was appointed to serve as an assistant secretary of administration.

He left state service in 1995 to help run Allen's political action committee, assisting legislative races that year (wherein the GOP captured a tie in the State Senate).

LaCivita was named executive director of the state Republican Party in 1996, after Allen's allies won control of the RPV.

LaCivita ran the party as Jim Gilmore succeeded Allen as governor in 1997, acting as overseer of 'internal squabbles,' but going on later to capture control of both houses of the General Assembly in 1999.

LaCivita and former gubernatorial chief of staff Jay Timmons worked on Allen's successful campaign in the 2000 Senate election against two-term Democrat Chuck Robb, a race he won with 52% of the vote.

In 2001, LaCivita was drafted in the final two months to shore up the losing campaign of Attorney General Mark Earley for governor against Mark Warner.

As Fred Barnes wrote: "'Earley wasted the summer and didn't find a message until September -- after party officials dispatched Chris LaCivita, the political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to run his campaign. The message, it turns out, is a hardy perennial for Republicans: taxes.'"Earley, down by 13 points in mid-summer, closed the gap late in the campaign eventually lost by five points, 52%-47%, to the Democrat.

During the 2002 midterm elections, LaCivita served as the political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) under the chairmanship of Senator Bill Frist.

That November, the GOP scored a net gain of two Senate seats, recapturing control of the upper chamber.

While at the NRSC, LaCivita was the direct supervisor of James Tobin, another former employee of the DCI Group.

In 2003, LaCivita served as president of Progress for America, later giving that role to former DCI employee Brian McCabe while LaCivita became its executive director.

LaCivita at one time worked for the Republican political consulting firm DCI Group, which had close ties both to Progress for America and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

LaCivita is often mentioned for his role as media advisor to the Swift Boat Veterans, an independent-expenditure group credited with a significant impact on the 2004 presidential election.

Since 2004, he has been president of the firm Advancing Strategies LLC.

He was formerly with Crosslink Strategy, a conservative lobbying and political consulting firm founded by former John McCain advisor Terry Nelson, a founding partner of FP1 as well.

LaCivita was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, but grew up in the Richmond, Virginia area, graduating from Midlothian High School.

His father was a first-generation Italian-American and his mother was a first generation Irish-American.

During the 2004 US presidential campaign, LaCivita served as consultant and principal media advisor to the Swift Boat Veterans, writing and producing the group's memorable (and controversial) commercials in association with Rick Reed.

At the same time, LaCivita consulted for the NRSC, now headed by former client George Allen, as it scored a net gain of four Senate seats in the 2004 cycle.

In 2005, Tobin was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for his role in the 2002 NH phone jamming scandal for his activities during that campaign; LaCivita was on Tobin's witness list but never called.

Democrats, who sought testimony from LaCivita for a civil suit tied to the same incident, recently settled that civil suit out of court.

Tobin's conviction was overturned on appeal.

LaCivita continued his independent-expenditure work in 2005, producing ads in support of Attorney General Jerry Kilgore in his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.

In 2005 and 2006, LaCivita was a senior strategist for Vern Buchanan, who won a contested primary and general election in Florida's 13th congressional district by less than 400 votes.

In the 2006 Florida gubernatorial election, LaCivita ran an independent organization, Floridians for a Better and Brighter Future, in support of Charlie Crist's Republican primary campaign against Tom Gallagher.

In 2006, LaCivita was a general consultant for Bob Corker's successful campaign for Senate in Tennessee.

As Corker lagged in the polls behind Democratic opponent Harold Ford, LaCivita was later replaced by Tom Ingram who engineered a late-in-the-game turnaround to narrowly win the general election.

In 2007, LaCivita told reporters that the GOP could silence the press uproar over the sudden dismissal of eight US Attorneys by promoting stories about the most extreme among anti-Bush activists.

"When are we going to make it about Code Pink and the rest of the liberal weirdos controlling the Democrat agenda?"

he asked.

That fall, he guided Jill Holtzman Vogel to her initial victory in the Winchester-based Virginia State Senate contest.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, LaCivita and Tony Feather launched a new 501(c)4 issues advocacy group, the American Issues Project, after a series of meetings with other Swift Boat donors.

In August 2008, AIP began airing ads in battleground states seeking to raise questions about Democratic Party presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama's ties to former student radical William Ayers.

The ad may be viewed here.