Beth Hansen
| Beth Hansen | |||
 | |||
| Basic facts | |||
| Role: | Former chief of staff | ||
| Location: | Columbus, Ohio | ||
| Affiliation: | Republican | ||
| Education: | University of Michigan | ||
| |||
Beth Hansen is an Ohio-based Republican political consultant. She was the campaign manager for John Kasich's 2016 presidential campaign.[1] Hansen was the chief of staff for Gov. John Kasich (R) from 2011 to 2019.
| •As campaign manager, Hansen worked daily with strategists and communications staffers on the campaign's message and agenda. •Hansen managed Kasich's first gubernatorial campaign in 2010 and was his chief of staff. |
Hansen was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Ohio. She was one of 66 delegates from Ohio pledged to support John Kasich at the convention. Kasich suspended his campaign on May 4, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 156 bound delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates.
Career
Early career
Beth Hansen began her career in politics after graduating from the University of Michigan. She followed her college roommate to Washington, D.C., and began working with the Republican National Committee (RNC) as an entry-level researcher assigned to summarizing news clippings. She then became an assistant to Mary Matalin at the RNC. After working as a scheduler for U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (Mo.), Hansen got a job as a Missouri staffer for George H.W. Bush's 1988 presidential campaign. In 1992, after again working for the RNC, Hansen was the political director for the Republican Party of Michigan.[2]
Ohio politics
Hansen has worked in Republican politics in the state of Ohio for a number of key politicians. She was a midwestern director for Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, where she met then-Gov. George Voinovich (R). Hansen managed Voinovich's 1998 U.S. Senate run.[3][4]
During Voinovich's initial U.S. Senate run, Hansen played a key role in messaging during the primary and general elections. Rather than focus on pushing a primary opponent out of the race, Hansen encouraged the staff to understand "that this person won't get more than some predictable, modest share of votes and that that's going to be OK with us."[2] During the general election, Hansen maintained her calm demeanor from the beginning, when opponent Mary Boyle (D) questioned Voinovich's ethics. According to the Toledo Blade, "Beth Hansen, Mr. Voinovich's campaign manager, said it was 'sad' that Ms. Boyle's campaign was starting with negative comments about her opponent."[5] Hansen also served as Voinovich's state director for 11 years.[6]
According to the Northeast Ohio Media Group, "Hansen's work for the senator earned her a reputation for being able to work with and manage some of the state's biggest political personalities."[2]
John Kasich advisor
In 2010 and 2014, Hansen managed John Kasich's campaigns for governor of Ohio.[6] On November 2, 2010, Kasich defeated incumbent Ted Strickland (D) in the general election and Hansen was named his chief of staff shortly after the victory.[7][6] In a September 2015 profile of Hansen, the Northeast Ohio Media Group noted: "In the business community, Hansen is respected as the governor's alter ego."[2]
As Kasich's chief of staff, Hansen was frequently involved in issues of economics and employment. In 2011, Hansen took a leave of absence from Kasich's staff to join Building a Better Ohio, a nonprofit organization that supported a Kasich-backed bill that "sharply restrict[ed] collective bargaining power and end[ed] binding arbitration for state and local public workers."
When the bill was opposed by labor unions and a petition to repeal the law was certified for the 2011 ballot, Hansen joined the group to "oversee the television side of the campaign," according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.[8]
The referendum on the law was defeated and the law was rejected.[9]
In 2014, Hansen was dispatched to Detroit, Michigan, when Chrysler was considering halting the production of some automobiles in Toledo, Ohio.[10]
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2018, Ballotpedia identified Beth Hansen as a gubernatorial chief of staff. A chief of staff is the lead staff member of an administration and is responsible for implementing the governor's agenda.
The role is both a managerial and advisory position, although specific duties vary by each administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[11]
- Control access to the governor and manage the governor's calendar;
- Monitor the flow of information to the governor on policy issues;
- Oversee gubernatorial Cabinet and staff; and
- Manage and communicate the governor's policy agenda to the state legislature and the public.
In terms of policymaking, the NGA notes that a chief of staff is responsible for bringing policy and communications together: "The chief is responsible for overseeing the development of the governor’s policy agenda. The policy director or advisor is typically responsible for shaping the general concepts and specific details of the agenda with input from the communications director, policy staff, and cabinet members. The chief often must take charge and bring the pieces together coherently."[11]
John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016
- See also: John Kasich presidential campaign, 2016
On July 14, 2015, The Columbus Dispatch reported that Hansen would leave her position as John Kasich's chief of staff to manage his presidential campaign.[1] Of Hansen, Kasich stated: "I have total confidence in Beth. We're close. ... Forget everything else, I love the fact that she's a woman. What a fantastic thing that is. I like to have women in high places in organizations."[12] Kasich announced his bid for the presidency on July 21, 2015.[13]
In an October 2015 interview with Elle, Hansen explained her role as chiefly "implementing what it is the candidate wants to do." She went on to describe her daily routine as the presidential campaign's manager:[14]
| “ | [W]e have a first-thing-in-the-morning call with all of our department heads and all of our senior strategists, and we just run through what it is we want to accomplish during that day. ... Our most important commodity is the governor's time. I spend time with our communications staff, with our online staff, with our grassroots political staff. I have goals, but many times my goals are overtaken by the events of the day, and such is the nature of campaign politics.[15] | ” |
On May 4, 2016, after Donald Trump won the Indiana primary, Kasich suspended his presidential campaign.[16]
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Hansen was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Ohio. She was pledged to John Kasich.
Delegate rules
Each presidential candidate was required to submit a slate of at-large and district-level delegates to the Republican Party of Ohio. The candidate who received the most votes in the statewide primary had his or her slate of delegates elected to represent Ohio at the 2016 Republican National Convention. According to Brittany Warner, communications director for the state party, delegates from Ohio were bound on the first ballot at the national convention to support the winner of the statewide primary.[17]
Ohio primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Ohio, 2016
| Ohio Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.3% | 5,398 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 0.7% | 14,351 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 2,430 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz | 13.3% | 264,640 | 0 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 2,112 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.2% | 4,941 | 0 | |
 John Kasich |
47% | 933,886 | 66 | |
| Marco Rubio | 2.3% | 46,478 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 1,320 | 0 | |
| Donald Trump | 35.9% | 713,404 | 0 | |
| Totals | 1,988,960 | 66 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and Ohio Secretary of State | ||||
Delegate allocation
Ohio had 66 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 48 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 16 congressional districts). Ohio's district delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won a plurality of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's district delegates.[18][19]
Of the remaining 18 delegates, 15 served at large. Ohio's at-large delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won a plurality of the statewide primary vote received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[18][19]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Beth Hansen Kasich. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Columbus Dispatch, "Kasich gets warm reception at New Hampshire town hall," July 14, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Northeast Ohio Media Group, "Meet Beth Hansen, the under-the-radar operative steering John Kasich's presidential campaign," September 8, 2015
- ↑ Oberlin College, Around the Square, "Lessons from the Campaign Trail," December 1997
- ↑ Cincinnati Enquirer, "Boyle sets sights on Senate," May 16, 1997
- ↑ Toledo Blade, "Kerrey, backing Boyle, says Voinovich only governor with chief of staff in jail," December 5, 1997
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Examiner, "Ohio Gov-Elect John Kasich names top staffers," November 3, 2010
- ↑ Dayton Business Journal, "John Kasich names staff members," November 3, 2010
- ↑ Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Gov. John Kasich's chief of staff to take leave of absence to work on pro-Senate Bill 5 campaign," September 6, 2011
- ↑ Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Ohio voters overwhelmingly reject Issue 2, dealing a blow to Gov. John Kasich," November 8, 2011
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Chrysler CEO talks Wrangler future with Ohio leaders," October 9, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ Northeast Ohio Media Group, "John Kasich's chief of staff to leave post and take key role in presidential campaign," July 13, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "John Kasich makes 2016 bid official in freewheeling announcement," July 21, 2015
- ↑ Elle, "One of the Few Female Campaign Managers on What It's Like to Manage a Male Politician," October 28, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Politico, "Kasich dropping out of presidential race," May 4, 2016
- ↑ Conservative Review, "Upon Exiting Race, Kasich's Ohio Delegates are Not Bound to Trump," March 24, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
