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James Carville
James Carville is America's best-known political consultant. His long list of electoral
successes evidence a knack for steering overlooked campaigns to unexpected
landslide victories and for remaking political underdogs into upset winners.
Carville's winning streak began in 1986, when he managed the gubernatorial victory
of Robert Casey in Pennsylvania. A loser in three previous attempts (dubbed the
"Three-Time-Loss from Holy Cross" by the media), Casey--with Carville's guidance-
-was able to defeat popular Lieutenant Governor William Scranton, Jr. in a
remarkable come-from-behind win. In 1987, Carville helped Wallace Wilkinson--a
candidate with less than 1% of the vote in the early polls--win a hard fought
gubernatorial campaign in Kentucky.
The following year brought Carville to New Jersey, where he guided Frank
Lautenberg's campaign for U.S. Senate to victory, defeating Rhodes Scholar and
Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins. Carville next managed the successful 1990
gubernatorial campaign of Georgia's Lt. Governor, Zell Miller, including a tough
primary win over Atlanta mayor Andrew Young.
In 1991, Carville--who had already become prominent in political circles--drew
national attention when he managed Senator Harris Wofford from 40 points behind
in the polls to an upset landslide over former Pennsylvania Governor and U.S.
Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. With the startling and unpredicted Wofford
win, Carville had exposed the political vulnerability of George Bush, who had been
enjoying 91% approval ratings during the Gulf War.
Carville guided William Jefferson Clinton to the Presidency in 1992. In 1993,
Carville was honored as Campaign Manager of the Year by the American
Association of Political Consultants for his leadership in Clinton's fearsome and
intense "War Room" at campaign headquarters in Little Rock. Carville was also the
focus, along with George Stephanopoulos, of the feature-length Academy Award
nominated documentary "The War Room."
After the Clinton victory, Carville began to focus on foreign consulting. Since that
time, Carville's political clients have included: Greek Prime Minister Constantine
Mitsotakis; Brazilian President Fernando Enrique Cardoso; Honduran Prime
Minister Carlos Flores; President Jamil Mahuad of Ecuador; the Liberal Party of
Canada; British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Sao Paolo Mayor Celso Pitta; Argentine
Economic Minister Domingo Cavallo; Francisco Labastida of Mexico; Prime
Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Basdeo Panday; and Hipolito Meija of the
Dominican Republic. In 1999, Carville led Ehud Barak to victory in his campaign to
become the Prime Minister of Israel.
James Carville is also an author, speaker, restaurateur and talk show host. With his
wife Mary Matalin, who is currently Assistant to President Bush and Counselor to
Vice-President Cheney, Carville co-wrote All's Fair: Love, War and Running for
President, which spent eight weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Carville's
next books (We're Right, They're Wrong: A Handbook for Spirited Progressives;
And the Horse He Rode In On: The People vs. Kenneth Starr; Stickin') earned long-
running places on that prestigious list as well. Suck Up, Buck Up... and Come Back
When You Foul Up, Carville's latest literary effort, co-written with Paul Begala,
details strategies for fighting and winning in business, politics, and life. Begala and
Carville can also be seen co-hosting CNN's Crossfire.
Discuss James Carville on the K Street Bulletin Board.
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In The HBO Store
Bill Maher's politically charged book, "When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden." |
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