Steve Schmidt

For persons of a similar name, see Steve Schmidt (disambiguation).

Steve Schmidt
Schmidt in 2023
Born
Stephen Edward Schmidt

(1970-09-28) September 28, 1970 (age 54)
North Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Delaware (BA)
Political partyDemocratic (2020–present)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (1988–2018)
Independent (2018–2020)[1]
Spouse
Angela Schmidt
​
(divorced)​
Children3

Stephen Edward Schmidt[2] (born September 28, 1970)[3] is an American political and corporate strategist. He is best known for working on Republican political campaigns, including those of President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Arizona Senator John McCain during his 2008 presidential campaign.[4][5]

He was a vice chair at the public relations firm Edelman,[6] where he advised CEOs and senior decision makers at Fortune 500 corporations,[7] until he stepped down July 2018.[8] He became a political analyst for MSNBC in 2011,[9] and appeared on the third season of Showtime's The Circus.[10]

Schmidt has been extremely critical of former President Donald Trump, and of the GOP for supporting him. In June 2018, Schmidt renounced the Republican Party as "fully the party of Trump".[11] In September 2020, Schmidt predicted that violence would erupt as a result of Trump's election denial proclamations.[12] In early December 2020, he stated: "The Republican Party is an organized conspiracy for the purposes of maintaining power for self-interest, and the self-interest of its donor class ... It's no longer dedicated to American democracy."[13][14]

Schmidt is a founder of The Lincoln Project, a group founded to campaign against former President Trump. It became the most financially successful Super-PAC in American history, raising almost $100 million to campaign against Trump's failed 2020 re-election bid.[15] He left the group in 2021.[15]

In a podcast on December 14, 2020, Schmidt announced that he planned to register as a member of the Democratic Party.

  1. ^ Gstalter, Morgan (June 20, 2018). "GOP strategist Steve Schmidt denounces party, will vote for Democrats". The Hill.
  2. ^ "Replies". www.freerepublic.com.
  3. ^ "Birthday of the Day: Steve Schmidt, vice chairman at Edelman, MSNBC political analyst and Bush, McCain and Schwarzenegger alum". Politico. September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Halloran, Liz (August 1, 2008). "Republicans Press Celebrity Attack on Obama". U.S. News & World Report. Washington DC. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
  5. ^ Capehart, Jonathan (March 12, 2012). "Steve Schmidt's brutally honest assessment of Sarah Palin (Published 2012)". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ "Steve Schmidt – edelman.com". Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Speaker: Steve Schmidt, Renowned Political Strategist | LAI". www.leadingauthorities.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "Steve Schmidt: He is the greatest failure in the history of the American presidency". MSNBC.com.
  9. ^ "Steve Schmidt: He is the greatest failure in the history of the American presidency". MSNBC.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Barr, Jeremy (September 13, 2018). "Showtime's 'The Circus' Enlists MSNBC's Steve Schmidt". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Miller, Hayley (June 20, 2018). "GOP Strategist Quits 'Corrupt' Party Of 'Feckless Cowards', Will Vote For Democrats". HuffPost. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "'The country is in a dangerous hour': Lincoln Project founder warns second Trump coup is coming". The Independent. December 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Schmidt, Steve (December 9, 2020). "Steve Schmidt says the GOP is an "organized conspiracy" to gain power – video (2:43)". MSNBC News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  14. ^ Hains, Tim (December 10, 2020). ""Lincoln Project" Founder Steve Schmidt Warns: "The Republican Party Is An Organized Conspiracy" And They Just Crossed The Rubicon". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Hakim, Danny (February 13, 2021). "Lincoln Project Co-Founder Resigns From Board Amid a Deepening Crisis". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021.