Michael J. Whouley

Michael J. Whouley is a national field operative and senior strategist for presidential campaigns for the Dewey Square Group. During the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign, Whouley served as a senior strategist for the Kerry campaign as well as the Democratic National Committee's General Election Manager.[1][2] The Boston Herald (Sept. 12, 2004) described Whouley as "one of Kerry's closest aides and the person campaign insiders credit for the senator's comeback victory in Iowa."

Profile

In its profile of Whouley, the Boston Globe wrote:[3]

Whouley is widely respected in Democratic circles for his organizing prowess, running aggressive field operations to canvass voters, identify caucusgoers, and rally supporters with direct mail and phone banks. He is valued also because he eschews the spotlight; he declined to be interviewed for this profile. With his gravelly voice and no-nonsense demeanor, Whouley is also known for cutting through the red tape that can strangle a campaign.

Campaigns

Whouley was the national field director of Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, and held the same position in Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign. (In 1996, he served as Gore's campaign manager.) In 1988, Whouley ran Massachusetts Governor Michael S. Dukakis' presidential campaign in three states. Previous to that, he worked on two of John Kerry's Massachusetts Senate races.[4]

Regarding the 2000 Gore election, the Baltimore Sun (Jul. 25, 2004) wrote, "According to legend, Whouley, seeing early primary-day exit polls in New Hampshire that showed Gore behind, considered flipping a tractor-trailer to block traffic on the interstate running through suburbs friendly to Gore's opponent, to prevent his backers from voting. (Whouley later denied that rumor, and said he was only joking when he bragged that Gore's campaign had sent slow-moving vehicles onto the highway to merely snarl traffic instead.)"

Counseling Against Concession

In 2000, Whouley "placed a frantic call urging Gore to hold off, because late numbers from Florida cast doubt on results from the pivotal state. Gore complied, setting in motion a 36-day dispute about the Florida vote that the Supreme Court ultimately settled in Bush's favor."[5]

He may play a similar role following the 2004 presidential elections, which are expected to be close: "On Election Day, Whouley will head the so-called 'boiler room,' probably in Washington, that tracks vote counts and ensures Kerry doesn't concede too soon," reported Associated Press. "Right now, we have 10,000 lawyers out in the battleground states on Election Day, and that number is growing by the day," Whouley told AP.[6]

SourceWatch Resources

• Dewey Square Group
• John Forbes Kerry: U.S. Presidential Campaign 2004

External Links

• Glen Johnson, "Mass. political consultant aims to put Kerry campaign on right track," The Boston Globe, November 30, 2003.