Under The Power Lines

{President / Political Strategist}

Wesley’s personal blog.

Tim says “Wesley is the most intense person I have ever met.”

Maybe its because he drinks way too much Starbucks, wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about winning, refuses to go on vacation anywhere without high speed wireless internet access, reads polls for fun, or works 15 hours a day, everyday. Take your pick…the guy’s intense, but it produces results.

He’s only 28 years old, but Wesley has worked on, managed, and advised countless campaigns. Fresh out of Goose Creek, SC, Wesley started working for State Senator Bill Mescher at the SC Statehouse as a Freshman at the University of South Carolina. That was it. He was bit by the political bug and there was no cure to the virus that took over his life.

He became the USC and State College Republican Chairman for three years, started working on a few campaigns, and then met political consultant Rod Shealy who taught Wes one simple lesson – the fun isn’t on the government side. It’s on the campaign side.

After working with Rod for awhile, Wes jumped from campaign to campaign until meeting Terry Sullivan who was managing Jim DeMint’s US Senate campaign. Wes joined the DeMint team early during the primary, but peeled off to run a State Senate campaign, eventually making his way to Chip Campsen’s State Senate campaign where he helped defeat a sitting incumbent in the primary.

Wes soon rejoined the DeMint campaign where he helped beat Inez Tenenbaum. DeMint went to the US Senate and Wes went to the Campbell for Lt. Governor campaign as Campaign Manager. He left in January 2006 before the primary when Warren Tompkins, Terry Sullivan, and Heath Thompson joined forces and asked him to run their new firm TTS.

At TTS (now known as First Tuesday Strategies), Wes went 5-0 as chief strategist to five State House campaigns, including Keith Kelly’s outright win in a three way primary and Bill Cotty’s fierce reelection campaign. Wes also ran Mick Mulavaney’s campaign, the only pick up for the Republican House Caucus. Speaking of pick-ups, Wes helped the Senate Republican Caucus pick up a seat when he ran Shane Massey’s State Senate campaign in 2007.

So, is his name Wes or Wesley? He says Wes, but his wife would prefer that you call him Wesley. Whatever his name is, he’s married to successful SC political fundraiser Elizabeth Donehue. She’s cool. They have a yorkie named Gucci. Wesley wants you to know that it was Elizabeth’s before they met.

When Wesley’s not at work, you can find him on his couch…working.