Nicole Runge
Nicole has been at the forefront of political fundraising for the past decade. For the past six years, Nicole has held various leadership positions at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Most recently, she was the Managing Director of Finance and Marketing. In this position, she was responsible for planning, executing and raising more than $170 million, breaking all fundraising records for the DCCC.During this time, Nicole worked closely with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and traveled with her nationally on political trips. Her strong relationships with House Leadership and Members of the Democratic Caucus come from years of working closely with Members on fundraising events for the DCCC.
Nicole was instrumental in all events during two Congressional Swearing-In Ceremonies for the110th and 111th Congress, and both the 2004 and 2008 Democratic National Conventions. She worked closely with musical talent and prominent surrogates to ensure all events are one of a kind and unforgettable.
Prior to her tenure with the DCCC, Nicole worked in Senate politics working in fundraising capacities for Senator Byron Dorgan, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Bob Kerrey, and the DSCC.
Nicole has a B.A. in Political Science and Communications from the University of Iowa.
Brian Smoot
Brian is one of the leading Democratic strategists and tacticians in Congressional politics. In the 2008 election cycle, he served as the Political Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). He led the Committee’s day-to-day political operations and oversaw more than 75 challenger campaigns and 30 incumbent re-election campaigns.Under his guidance, 24 new Democratic members were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This marked the first time that a party, which won a Majority in Congress in one wave election, went on to win a second consecutive wave.
Prior to leading the DCCC’s political operations, Brian served as the DCCC Director of Incumbent Retention and Campaign Services. In this role, Brian instituted the Committee’s first-ever candidate training programs, spearheaded efforts to bring in a national field staff, and developed and implemented strategies to safeguard incumbent House members facing tough re-elections. Under his leadership, the DCCC’s Frontline program dramatically reduced its number of vulnerable members and retained 90 percent of the 2006 freshman class.
Brian has worked extensively on Capitol Hill and on Congressional campaigns across the country. After playing a senior role in Congressman Rodney Alexander’s Congressional upset victory in Louisiana in 2002, he was tapped to be Congressman Alexander’s Chief of Staff, becoming one of the youngest Chiefs of Staff on Capitol Hill. He went on to manage the successful 2006 campaign of Congressman Ron Klein of Florida (FL-22), leading efforts to defeat a 26-year Republican incumbent in one of the most expensive campaigns in the 2006 cycle. Brian then served as Congressman Klein’s Chief of Staff.
Brian holds an M.A. in Political Management from George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and a B.A. in International Politics from American University.
Casey O’Shea
During the 2008 election cycle, Casey designed and implemented a first-of-its-kind national field program that was crucial in securing significant Democratic gains in the U.S. House of Representatives. In his role as the National Field Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Casey developed field strategies that saw 24 new members elected to the House in districts where the odds were heavily stacked against them and helped retain 90% of the 2006 freshman class.Casey engineered successful field strategies for three special election open seats, including the seat of former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. He also ran the DCCC’s Independent Expenditure field operation for the special election in Louisiana’s 6th congressional district.
Under his leadership, the DCCC and the affiliated campaigns filled 400,000 phone and canvass shifts, made 35 million phone calls and door knocks, and identified over 3.5 million voters.
An experienced campaign manager, Casey ran the razor-thin special election victory of Rep. Charlie Melancon in 2004 and served as his Chief of Staff, guiding Melancon through a successful reelection in 2006. He spent 2003 in Louisiana managing the Louisiana Association for Justice's legislative coalition campaign. He then served as Missouri primary Field Director for John Kerry's Presidential campaign and he was also an organizer in Iowa City. In 2002, Casey was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the successful open seat campaign of Rep. Brad Miller (NC-13).
Casey has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Mississippi and was a Midshipman, 4th Class at the United States Naval Academy.
Seth Pendleton
Seth specializes in preparing political and business leaders for some of their most crucial public appearances, including media interviews, national convention speeches, keynote addresses, and investor meetings. Most recently, he led speaker training, media training, and debate preparation for more than 20 new members of the 111th U.S. Congress.During the 2008 election cycle, Seth served as the Director of Training for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) where he designed and executed a first-ever internal training program for the Committee. More than 200 candidates and campaign staff were trained during the 2008 election cycle. He also led the DCCC’s debate preparation and media training initiatives. Seth’s work with Congressional challengers and incumbents helped ensure that Democratic candidates were on message and ready for prime time.
Prior to his tenure at the DCCC, Seth served on the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs staff at the National Science Foundation (NSF) where he was a senior speechwriter for the Director of the NSF.
Seth has served as a speaker and media trainer in the private sector for more than 15 years, working with such clients as Harvard University, HBO, Pfizer, Bayer, and Hewitt and Associates.
Seth holds a Masters degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as well as an M.A. in Theatre Art from Villanova University. He is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
