Wesley Donehue Podcast

Welcome back to season 2 of the Wesley Donehue Podcast! Dive back in with Chief Creative Officer at Push Digital Group, Brian Athey, as he lays the groundwork for an exciting new venture with Wesley.

➡️ Change Is Never Easy: Wesley and Brian review the pivotal decisions being made at PDG at the end of the 2024 political cycle, as well as all the changes leading up to it over the past 13 years with personnel, company infrastructure, and priorities for the firm. 

👀 Peeling Back the Curtain: Wesley and Brian relay the plan for intentional innovation brought by Sandbox, aiming to redefine politics and foster solutions for the GOP party, no matter which party holds power in Washington. 

🧠 What’s On Your Mind?: Brian picks Wesley’s brain on his focus as he takes a new role in the company, including addressing fundraising, media strategy, and infrastructure issues is crucial for sustained political success within the GOP. 

🚧 In the Trenches: Wesley explains his vision in transitioning his focus from execution to innovation ensures scalability and the ability to tackle future challenges.

🌦️The Forecast: Wesley and Brian unpack their plan to launch 12 new things in the next 12 months, rolling out changes in how the company can maximize its tangible impact on our nation’s politics. 

🎙️Join us for this week’s episode as we sit down with Katey McCutcheon, former Communications Director for Senator Joe Manchin and current SVP at Firehouse Strategies, for an inside look at messaging strategies that transcend political lines🐘🫏

↪️A Change of Heart: Katey shares her journey into the political world and reveals how she shifted her political views and affiliations through her work in the West Virginia State Senate.

💼Headed Up the Hill: Hear about Katey’s experiences on Capitol Hill and the unique, relentlessly challenging work culture within the House and Senate.

👩🏼‍💻Started From the Bottom: Katey recounts her meandering ascendance from intern to Communications Director on the Hill.

🤝One in the Same: Wesley and Katey discuss how public displays of inter-party disagreement are felt in both major political parties.

🕹️Messaging Maneuvers: Katey discusses the expectations of party leadership messaging in congressional offices and how she had to think outside the box to meet the unique factors of her boss's positioning.

🍪Not So Cookie Cutter: Katey explains the key considerations for Senator Manchin’s Communications team and how the diverse makeup of constituents sometimes conflicted with party expectations.
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Katey McCutcheon is a Senior Vice President at Firehouse Strategies.
Before Firehouse Strategies, she worked at a Washington, D.C.-based communications firm, specializing in communications for corporate, political and advocacy clients. Prior to that, she began her career on Capitol Hill where she specialized in communications for Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and, most recently, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin. For six years, she helped navigate Senator Manchin through his reelection in 2018, government shutdowns, three Supreme Court confirmations and numerous policy proposals.
Katey is originally from Long Island, New York and grew up in New York, California and Texas. She graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and Political Science.

🎤📌Today, Wesley is joined by General Consultant Brad Shattuck! Tune in to hear about his journey through the political world, including how he came to open his own firm.

🚨Up in the Air: Wesley and Brad discuss how tumultuous the month of July has been for the political world, from shifting campaign landscapes to the unpredictability of what's coming next.

🏃‍➡️The Political Track: Brad shifted his aspirations from track and field to political ambitions during college when he became chairman of the WVU College Republicans.

📺Someone to Look Up To: Wesley and Brad reflect on the political figures they admired growing up, from former U.S. Presidents to fictional executive staffers.

🏆The Campaign Appeal: Brad and Wesley agree that the campaign life is the path for them, explaining why some aspects of it were more appealing than jobs on Capitol Hill.

🥷The Assassin Mentality: Wesley and Brad discuss the dexterity and intensity required to succeed in political campaigns, as well as the importance of containing those mentalities to the workplace.

🤿Swimming Upstream: Wesley shares his perspective on fundraising wins and losses, both past and present, for GOP campaigns and how they tie into media relations.
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After a string of successes managing political action committees, statewide and Congressional campaigns, and independent expenditure efforts around the country, Brad Shattuck founded Strategic Impact, intent on building a Republican consulting and voter contact firm aimed at electing solid Republicans to office.

Shattuck began his career helping to reelect one of the most endangered Republican Congressmen in the country in 2000. After securing an 18-point victory, Shattuck moved to Virginia where he worked on the 2001 GOP nomination contest for Governor. From there, he went on to run one of the nation’s largest conservative PACs and oversaw successful independent expenditure efforts, helping to expand the GOP majority in 2001 and 2002.

In 2003, he helped elect the first GOP Governor in over 32 years in Kentucky and ran the campaign for Secretary of State, resulting in the first win in over 80 years for a down-ballot Republican. After the campaign, he worked at the Republican Party of Kentucky overseeing multiple candidates and campaigns.

Following a successful stint at the Party, Shattuck went on to run two other Congressional races before finally starting Strategic Impact. Today, his firm works with dozens of Members of Congress, numerous down-ballot statewide officials, conservative organizations, and State House and State Senate campaigns and caucuses around the country. His work has won the coveted Pollie Award (the Oscars of the political industry), and he has been featured in The New York Times, Politico, Roll Call and a host of other publications.

🎙️📝Today’s episode with Brett O’Donnell, pro communications consultant whose work has spanned the globe, is a can’t miss. Tune in to hear how he has helped presidents, governors, and prime ministers fine-tune their messaging!

📌Memorable & Meaningful: Brett explains his mastery in compressing complex policy into digestible, adaptable political messaging for speeches, debates, and direct mail campaigns alike.

🙊We Spoke Neither: O’Donnell explores his work with international candidates, revealing how he navigated language barriers to deliver universal messaging, unbound by geography.

🍔Feed Me the Cheeseburger: Wesley and Brett examine whether the rhetoric of candidates like Donald Trump, who speaks plainly, and Bernie Sanders, who addresses those feeling neglected by the political system, reflects a broader trend of voters seeking raw, unfiltered information.

🛗A Wide Reach: Wesley gets the scoop on Brett’s extensive client history and his approach to strategizing messaging for a diverse range of personalities.

🥉The Holy Trinity: Brett outlines what he believes are the three key factors that drive voter support for a candidate, all rooted in authenticity.

💥Like a Loaded Gun: Wesley asks about Brett’s favorite campaign war story, featuring a memorable quip to Senator John McCain that received widespread acclaim from his audience.
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Brett O’Donnell is the President of O’Donnell and Associates, an international political and corporate strategic communications consulting firm. He currently serves as a message, communications and media strategist for nonprofit and for-profit corporations and numerous members of the United States Congress. He has served on six US Presidential Campaigns and served three Prime Ministers of Britain.  He was messaging director for the Vote Leave campaign in Britain, commonly known as the Brexit.  He has led the communications and messaging for political campaigns in Latvia and the Dominican Republic and consulted on others in France, Poland, Israel and Panama.  In 2018, O’Donnell led the confirmation process for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He still serves as Pompeo’s communications and political advisor, a post he has occupied since 2014. During the 2008 presidential campaign, O’Donnell was twice named to Time magazine’s “Five Most Important People Not Running for President” list and has been described as the “best political debate coach” in the country. He was a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics in the fall of 2012.

O’Donnell has also consulted for nonprofit humanitarian organizations for message/marketing strategy, communications strategy and rapid response and media communications. He and his firm also provide messaging, communications, crisis communications, media training, speech writing and marketing consulting for Fortune 500 companies. O’Donnell has appeared as a guest on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report, appeared numerous times on the BBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC as a political analyst.

🎤🦅Today’s episode with Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09) is a can’t-miss! Join us as we delve into the Congresswoman’s career path, legislative priorities, and her advice for those entering public service.
🛣️A Winding Path: Rep. Houchin details her journey from interning at the state legislature to challenging a long-time incumbent in the State Senate, and most recently securing a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
🙋🏼‍♀️Did You Know There’s a Senator Here? Rep. Houchin recalls facing discrimination as a woman, including being directed to an alternate location for spouses during her own Indiana State Senate inauguration.
🕹️Navigating the Negativity: The Congresswoman and Wesley discuss the pervasive pessimism in political media cycles and the value of becoming your own information source, as she does in her podcast, The Contender.
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Keeping Kids Safe: Rep. Houchin and Wesley discuss the importance of the Kids Online Safety Act, a current legislative priority for the Congresswoman. As parents, they emphasize the critical importance of online safety for America’s children.
🏆Beating the Odds: Rep. Houchin shares how she overcame a 26-year incumbent to win her State Senate seat, becoming the first Republican in nearly a century to hold the position. She also reflects on the challenges of her 2022 U.S. House primary campaign, from which she emerged successful.
🔊A Congresswoman’s Wisdom: To wrap up the episode, Rep. Houchin offers words of encouragement for aspiring public officials, stressing that there are no mandatory qualifications or personal restrictions to hinder anyone from seeking office.
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Congresswoman Erin Houchin proudly represents the 9th Congressional District of Indiana. As a mother, community leader, and small business owner, Erin is dedicated to serving the 9th district to better the lives of all Hoosiers who call it home.

Erin currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee, the House Rules Committee, and the House Education and Workforce Committee. Previously, Erin represented the 47th District in the Indiana Senate for eight years and served as a member on several committees with jurisdiction over issues important to Hoosiers, including: Commerce and Technology; Elections; Family and Children Services; Utilities; Veterans Affairs and the Military; Homeland Security and Transportation; Energy, Utilities, Telecommunications; and Ranking Member of the Tax and Fiscal Policy.

Along with her service in the State Senate, Erin was a Hoosier small business owner operating a PR company focused on helping law enforcement communicate the good work they do. In addition to her private sector work, Erin held several leadership positions in her community. These positions included 9th District Chairwoman of the Indiana Republican Party, 9th District Chairman of the Indiana Federation of Republican Women, Vice Chairwoman of the Washington County Republican Party, and the Governor’s appointee to the Indiana Commission of Women. In 2011, Erin also served as Southeast Indiana Regional Director for U.S. Senator Dan Coats which covered most of Indiana’s 9th Congressional District.

Erin graduated from Indiana University with her Bachelor’s degree, and proceeded to earn her Master’s degree in Political Management from George Washington University.

Erin was born in Southern Indiana and is a native to the 9th District. She married her husband Dustin in 2002, and they currently live in Washington County with their three children.

📫🎙️Today's episode covers all aspects of conservative direct mailing efforts with expert Jeff Kruszyna!

🆚Digital vs. Direct Mail: Wesley and Jeff highlight the resurgence of direct mail's tangible interaction compared to the reactionary nature of digital media, noting the difference the formats make for educated voters.

📈Expanding the Donor Pool: Jeff and Wesley discuss the broadening of the donor base by engaging those feeling excluded from politics and leveraging news events like Trump's legal troubles to attract new donors.

👨🏻‍🔬From Computer Science to Political Science: Jeff shares his journey from one science to another, driven by his experience with the Young America's Foundation and his Christian faith.

🔁This or That: Wesley and Jeff discuss how direct mail and digital campaigns are most cost-effective for local races, offering the best return on investment.

🗂️Entrepreneurial Ups and Downs: Jeff reflects on his first solo year in the direct mail business, where they both note the importance of different investments.

🦅Hate Congress, Love the Congressman: Wesley and Jeff cover how non-political efforts and constituent services help maintain voter support for individual congressmen despite overall dissatisfaction with Congress.

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With more than 20 years of experience in the areas of Republican politics, direct response strategy, fundraising, copywriting, design, donor acquisition, list selection, segmentation and analysis, Jeff Kruszyna is ready to help you raise the money needed to achieve your goals, win your campaign, or fund your cause.

Jeff’s a three-time Peer Choice “All Star Award” winner and a 2019 recipient of the American Association of Political Consultants’ “40 Under 40 Award” who has raised more than $100 million for Republican campaigns, political action committees, veteran support groups, Christian charities, and other conservative advocacy organizations.

His direct mail fundraising appeals have been recognized with more than a dozen industry awards including: the American Association of Political Consultants’ “POLLIE” Award, the Direct Marketing Association of Washington’s “MAXI” (Marketing Award for eXcellence and Innovation) Award, and the Peer Choice “GOLD ELEPHANT” Award.

A native of New York, Jeff graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Stony Brook University’s Honors College with a B.A. in Political Science and a M.A. in Public Policy. In 2021, his alma mater selected Jeff as an honoree of their prestigious “40 Under Forty Award” recognizing him as an exceptional and distinguished leader in the areas of civil service and activism.

 Today Jeff lives in beautiful Loudoun County, Virginia, attends church at Cornerstone Chapel, and enjoys rooting for the Green Bay Packers.

🧐🎧Do people cast their votes based on intellectual decisions, or their emotions? Wesley and Robert delve deep into that question in this episode.

📍Pervasive Pessimism: Wesley and Robert dive into the widespread sense of pessimism in this nation and the sources of these negative rhetorics.

📆Origins of Skepticism: Robert and Wesley ponder the historical events which may have contributed to a loss of faith in institutions, including manufactured evidence and economic turmoil.

🌄A Changing Media Landscape: Wesley and Robert explore how watching cable television has turned from a familial gathering post to a toxic echo chamber. 

📣From Policy to Personality: Robert and Wesley explore how candidates are increasingly judged based on relatability and personal traits rather than their policy prescriptions, influencing voter decision-making and electoral outcomes.

🗳️Emotional Appeals and Authenticity: Wesley and Robert unpack what motivates the American electorate to get out their vote - and why one former President is particularly effective at captivating his base time and time again. 

🥊Counterpunch Ready: Robert shares an impactful campaign moment, highlighting the power of using research to win a campaign. 

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As one of the top pollsters in the country, Robert Blizzard’s political experience includes polling for presidential campaigns, major races for U.S. Senate and Governor across the country, party committees and Super PACs, dozens of Republicans in Congress, and state legislative caucuses across America. 

In the 2022 midterm election, Blizzard polled for two new Members of Congress, including for Dr. Rich McCormick (GA-6) who cruised in November after winning both a competitive Republican primary and run-off election against a Trump-endorsed candidate, and for an independent expenditure on behalf of Anthony D’Esposito (NY-4).

Blizzard helped guide the return of several other Republicans to Washington, including long-time clients Andy Barr (KY-6), Thomas Massie (KY-4), and Claudia Tenney (NY-24). Blizzard polled for SuperPAC efforts to re-elect both Senator Marco Rubio in Florida as well as Don Bacon (NE-2) in a seat Biden won in 2020.

In addition to his political expertise, Blizzard also regularly conducts corporate image, messaging, and crisis management research for national and state-based associations, public affairs groups, and Fortune 500 companies on topics related to criminal justice, consumer and customer strategy, education, energy, finance, health care, retail, and tech, among others.

Over the years, Blizzard has overseen extensive qualitative research on a variety of topics and issues around the country – from politics to public policy – moderating hundreds of focus groups and ad-testing groups both in-person and online. During the 2020 election cycle, Blizzard helped center-right clients better understand the key voting constituency of suburban voters by pioneering innovative qualitative research to better understand the attitudes of this swing voter cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A graduate of Clemson University, Blizzard lives in the Washington DC area with his wife and two sons. Prior to founding UpONE Insights, Blizzard spent nearly two decades at Public Opinion Strategies, working his way from intern to co-owner of the firm and top political pollster.

🎙️On today’s 80th anniversary of D-Day, hear from Matt Kenney, an Army combat veteran and seasoned political operative in the great state of Arizona.🇺🇸

🪖The Catalyst for Leadership: Matt explains how experiencing 9/11 as a highschooler and watching the military and NFL career of Pat Tillman prompted motivations to serve his country. 

⚔️A Profession of Arms: Matt reviews the many important lessons learned from Ranger School, ranging from specialized infantry techniques to unparalleled interpersonal skills. 

🎛️The Need to Pivot: Matt recounts the silver linings that he found as a result of the physical hardships and injuries from his time in combat.

🫡Platforms of Service: Upon exiting his days of service, Matt found a platform in working towards VA Reform, rebuilding the foundation of the Republican party in Arizona, and bolstering the newly censured and fellow veteran Senator John McCain. 

💥Crash Course in Politics: Matt explains that his first job after leaving combat was, notably, leading the successful Super PAC to reelect Senator McCain in 2015. 

📋The Monumental Marriott: Matt shares his favorite Campaign War Story, featuring multiple hotel ballrooms and hundreds of dedicated canvassers who still remember their many hours of hard work years later. 

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Matt Kenney specializes in organizational development, public affairs, and political consulting. For nearly a decade, Matt has worked on political and initiative campaigns as well as public relations projects.

He previously served as the executive director of the independent expenditure efforts to re-elect Senator John McCain and as executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. He has been a lead consultant on advocacy campaigns for Veteran Affairs reforms and accountability, energy initiatives, free market policies and the Arizona House and Senate’s Republican Legislative Victory Fund.

Before working in public affairs, Matt served in the US Army as an infantry officer and is a combat veteran. Matt holds certificates in American Public Policy and International Studies as well as Bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees from Arizona State University.

Matt currently serves on the board of the Arizona Department of Veterans Services, the Arizona Attorney General’s Veteran and Military Family Advisory Council, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the Western Maricopa Coalition. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Brittany and their three children Braiden, Eden and Rowan.

🗯️🎙️You won’t want to miss today’s inspiring episode featuring Thomas Peters, founder and CEO of the political texting company, RumbleUp!

🐘Big Observations: Thomas recounts a key insight from Mitt Romney’s 2012 defeat: the potential of using smartphones as a tool to organize a winning campaign.

🤫Behind Closed Doors: Wesley and Thomas discuss the lack of transparency among political professionals and how this secrecy limits potential growth in the field.

🛟A True Lifesaver: Thomas shares how creating his business saved his mental health during his recovery from a traumatic, life-threatening injury.

💪🏼Creating Teflon: Thomas and Wesley reflect on lessons about life's fragility and how these lessons influence decision-making in entrepreneurial pursuits.

✂️Democrats Invent, Republicans Perfect: Thomas discusses how many digital crafts are initially developed by Democrats, then adjusted to perfection by Republicans.

📑Code of Conduct: Wesley and Thomas theorize about the regulatory measures that should or should not be implemented in GOP political campaigns.

🚌The Keys to The Bus: Thomas describes his positive experiences on Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign, highlighting that camaraderie and trust in a young staff were key to a great experience.

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Thomas Peters, 38, holds two masters degrees, grew up in California and Michigan, and moved to Washington DC in 2007, where his career began in online political organizing and digital grassroots advocacy, first through his award-winning personal blog AmericanPapist, read by millions of people a year at its height, then as a communications director, writer, consultant and pundit. In 2012 he consulted for the advocacy organization CatholicVote on a project to mobilize millions of Catholics in several swing states on behalf of Mitt Romney for President. In 2014 he founded uCampaign, a platform which enables clients to launch and operate their own white label iOS/Android apps. uCampaign built the official smartphone apps of over 50 organizations in 12 countries, including Ted Cruz for President and Donald Trump for President (2016) as well as the UK, Canadian and Australian center–right parties’ apps. These apps were downloaded over 700,000 times in 9 languages and resulted in tens of millions of grassroots actions being performed by their supporters. In 2018 he launched RumbleUp, the most advanced political texting platform. In 2020 RumbleUp powered the official white label campaign texting platforms of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). In 2020 he wound down uCampaign to focus his team 100% on RumbleUp. In 2021, he launched Switchboard, a texting platform dedicated to shortcode texting as well as non-political texting use cases. Its first two significant clients are the Republican Governors Association and Friends of Ron DeSantis. In 2022 in addition to powering the NRCC & NRSC’s platforms for a second cycle in a row, RumbleUp also powered the official white label campaign texting platforms of the Republican Governors Association and the Republican State Leadership Committee. In 2020 he was awarded a “40 under 40” award in “recognition as a leader and innovator in the political business community” by the American Association of Political Consultants. His work has been profiled by The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and he was featured as a Fox News Sunday Power Player on August 30, 2020. He has been interviewed by NPR, Axios, Reuters, USA Today, Campaigns & Elections as well as Bloomberg’s Balance of Power podcast, the Business of Politics podcast, the Digital Politics podcast and the Ruthless podcast. He has given talks to the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC), the Cellu

🎧🏡On today’s episode, Chris Sinclair joins Wesley to discuss all things issue advocacy in the Realtor world. You won’t want to miss his insights on digital marketing and beyond!

⏯️There's Something to This Youtube: Chris talks about using a new tool called Youtube in it’s early days to launch an issue advocacy campaign. 

🫏It’s Done, We’re All Done: Chris reflects on the epiphany he had on election night in 2008 when he realized the power wielded by the Obama campaign’s digital efforts to emerge victorious in the Presidential election. 

🗣️You Lie!: Wesley explains how marrying the tools and the message creates successful digital efforts, citing the triumph he found with Rep. Joe Wilson’s infamous moment during the State of the Union in 2009.

📔The 37 Page Plan: Chris shares how he got his start in legislative communications, using that to forge an entrepreneurial path building upon his previous relationships with the Association of Realtors.

🤳🏼Working the Market: Wesley and Chris discuss how realtors use internet marketing abundantly and ponder why this isn't as transferable to political advocacy work.

👔Straight Grifters: Wesley and Chris unpack the scrutiny on political consultants and how bad behavior creates a negative perception amongst the public.

💸Time is Money: Chris and Wesley consider the importance of time spent versus money earned and the pressures of political careers.

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Chris Sinclair has been actively involved in North Carolina politics and public affairs for over 20 years. Recognized as a top influencer and strategist by multiple organizations, including Campaigns & Elections magazine which named him one of the Top 500 Influencers in American Politics (2013). Sinclair has founded multiple firms including Public Solutions, an award-winning public affairs firm, which later merged with Cornerstone Strategy & Communications to become Cornerstone Solutions. Chris was instrumental in the passage of Marsy’s Law for All legislation in North Carolina that passed with 62% of the vote, the highest of all six of the constitutional amendments up for consideration by voters in 2018. He has also been fundamental in implementing campaigns for three Wake County education bonds, all passing by over 65% of the vote, totaling nearly $1.5 billion. His work has proven powerful enough to sway the majority of citizens to vote for a candidate outside their political party. Chris has also helped run one of the most successful business and real estate coalitions in the country, concentrating on issue advocacy, strategic communications, and grassroots mobilization. Chris has served on numerous boards and commissions including a recent appointment to the North Carolina Victims’ Assistance Network Board of Directors. He also serves as the chair of the Central Wake High Charter School Board of Directors and has served on the Wake County Planning Board. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and was a former planner for the Tennessee Valley Authority and the City of Greenville, South Carolina. Chris obtained his master’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree from Mars Hill University. He is a father of three and currently resides in Charlotte, NC.