Christian Ziegler, 29, was continually forced into politics by his mother, who repeatedly brought him to political events — and it worked. Some of Christian’s childhood encounters were with then Governor George W. Bush and a weekend on a campaign bus with House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He has been hooked on news, government and campaigns ever since.
Christian values intergity and honesty over politics, saying “It’s easy to get sucked into a culture of deceit built on personal cheap shots. I decided early on to only release material that I’m willing to claim credit for and to be selective about who I work for.”
Following an internship with the Florida House, Christian was recruited by Congressman Vern Buchanan to join his campaign team. Christian rose from knowing on doors as an intern to coordinating events to writing speeches as Deputy Political Director. That year, Christian joined Rep. Buchanan on Capitol Hill.
Today, Christian serves as the Executive Director of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, was elected to serve as Sarasota County’s State Committeeman, and has been involved with numerous campaigns where his first focus is on fundraising, followed by communications.
Christian admires successful business owners turned elected officials, who choose to serve despite being the easiest targets during a campaign. Where will he be in ten years? “(Hopefully) retired before 40 and launching countless tech startups in the political world, just for fun.”
Latest tweet from @ChrisMZiegler: “For the same reason Congress needs to look outside of the beltway for ideas, Candidates should look outside of career consultants for help.”
Here is Christian in his own words:
I am 29 years old and still learning.
I live in Sarasota, Florida, but grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia …. I graduated from Florida State University – GO NOLES!…..I hope to visit Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls soon enough.
I got into politics, frankly because my mom continued to force me into the political world while I was growing up. Before George W. Bush was Governor of Texas, he was sitting near my mother and I on a plane out of Dallas. She struck up a conversation with him, introduced me as a 9 year old Nolan Ryan fan and ten minutes later, I received GWB’s Texas Rangers business card signed (one of the coolest items that I still own). A couple years later, when I was a teenager who only cared about sports and videogames, my mom forced me to spend a weekend on a campaign bus with our Congressman running for re-election. That Congressman was U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. After spending the weekend on his campaign bus and listening to all of Newt’s ideas and opinions on the issues facing our country, I was hooked on news, government and campaigns.
One principle I always put above politics is… Integrity & Honesty. With all of the Republican vs. Democrat debates, brutal Primary Election battles and General Election dog fights, it’s easy to get sucked into a culture of deceit built on personal cheap shots. I decided early on to only release material that I’m willing to claim credit for and to be selective about who I work for.
Person or people who gave me my first shot: U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), when he recruited me from the Florida House of Representatives to join his campaign team. It was his first attempt at elected office and it was the first campaign I had ever worked on. I rose from knocking on doors as an Intern to coordinating events and writing speeches as Deputy Political Director. We set the record as the most expensive U.S. House campaign in history that year and I got my shot on Capitol Hill after Vern won by a landslide total of 369 votes (out of over 238,000 votes).
I’ve already worked for/on: On the official side, I’ve worked in the Florida House of Representatives (Paid Intern Committee Analyst) and the U.S. House of Representatives (Legislative Assistant & one of the 1st New Media Directors on Capitol Hill). On the campaign side, I’ve worked on three of U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan’s Congressional Campaigns (2006,2008 & 2010), U.S. Senator Scott Brown (MA) Special Election Campaign in 2010 and I helped manage Rick Santorum’s online efforts during the 2012 Presidential Campaign. I’ve also served as the Executive Director of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, been involved with numerous local campaigns and in 2012, I was elected to serve as Sarasota County’s State Committeeman.
When I begin a project or first work on a campaign, I look for… Any and every email I can find in the candidate’s possess. You can have a great candidate, with a flawless message, but without millions in the bank or an incredibly active and engaged email list, you can’t get the message out fast enough. Outside of fundraising, communications (offline and online) should be the focus of every campaign.
I’ve been blessed to have these people as my mentors: My grandfather for expressing the importance of education & service and my mother for spending her life showing that through effort and dedication, the American Dream is possible.
The people I most admire in politics are: Successful business owners turned elected officials such as Florida Governor Rick Scott and Congressman Vern Buchanan. Both could have simply retired and enjoyed the wealth they’ve built from the ground up, but instead they run for office, ignore the countless shots from the other side and focus on doing what they believe is right for our country & state. Unfortunately, successful business owners, who we should want representing us the most, are the easiest targets during a campaign. I’ve got respect for those who ignore that risk.
One lesson I’ve already learned is… Everything can change in an election cycle.
If I wasn’t working in politics, I’d be working in (which field)… the startup world. Startups are very similar to campaigns. Unexpected issues are always popping up and you’ve got to find a way to adjust, adapt and overcome quickly, otherwise you’ll .
In ten years, you’ll read about me… (Hopefully) “Retired before 40 and launching countless tech startups in the political world, just for fun.”
You can connect with me via (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
www.ChristianGOP.com
Twitter: @ChrisMZiegler
Facebook.com/ChristianGOP
