AKP&D Message & Media
AKP&D Message & Media, formerly Axelrod & Associates, is a Chicago-based political consulting firm serving Democratic candidates.
Contents
Moonlighting at ASK
Working from the same office as his AKP&D firm, David Axelrod "operates a second business, ASK Public Strategies, that discreetly plots strategy and advertising campaigns for corporate clients," reported BusinessWeek. Axelrod's ASK partners are John Kupper and Eric Sedler, the latter previously of AT&T and Edelman. [1]
ASK is known for creating front groups. Chicago Alder Brendan Reilly called ASK "the gold standard in Astroturf organizing." In 2005, as ComEd was "preparing to ask [Illinois] state regulators for higher electricity prices," ASK advised the company to form "Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity." The front group, which described itself as "a coalition of individuals, businesses and organizations," funded ads that warned of blackouts unless rates were raised. Around the same time, ASK helped Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, oppose the New York Jets's plans to build a new stadium in Manhattan. Cablevision formed the "New York Association for Better Choices," and ran anti-stadium ads in its name. ASK's other work includes helping AT&T defend municipal broadband referenda. [1]
Partners
Partial client list
Federal
- Obama for President
- Edwards for President
- Clinton for President
- Simon for President
- U.S. Senator Barack Obama (Illinois)
- U.S. Senator Herb Kohl
- U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (Connecticut)
- U.S. Senator Carol Mosely-Braun (Illinois)
- U.S. Senator Paul Simon (Illinois)
- U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson (Illinois)
- U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (Rhode Island)
- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Illinois)
- U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich (Illinois)
- U.S. Rep. Jill Long (Indiana)
- U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens (Utah)
- U.S. Rep. Frank McCloskey (Indiana)
- U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard (Illinois)
- U.S. Rep. Frank Annunzio (Illinois)
- U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.)
- U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (Illinois)
- U.S. Rep. Eric Fingerhut (Ohio)
- U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen (Texas)
Statewide
- Governor Deval Patrick (Massachusetts)
- Governor Tom Vilsack (Iowa)
- Governor Tony Earl (Wisconsin)
- Dennis Miehl For Lt. Gov. (New York)
- Lt. Gov. Gray Davis (California)
- Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (Illinois)
- Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
- Attorney General Lee Fisher (Ohio)
- Attorney General Bonnie Campbell (Iowa)
- Attorney General Fred Cowan (Kentucky)
- Comptroller Carl McCall (New York)
- Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch (Illinois)
- Treasurer Pat Quinn (Illinois)
- Treasurer Mary Landrieu (Louisiana)
- Supreme Court Justice Miriam Shearing (Nevada)
- Supreme Court Justice Francis Sweeney (Ohio)
- Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson (Wisconsin)
Local
- Mayor Richard M. Daley (Chicago, IL)
- Mayor John F. Street (Philadelphia, PA)
- Mayor Harold Washington (Chicago, IL)
- Mayor Dennis W. Archer (Detroit, MI)
- Mayor Michael R. White (Cleveland, OH)
- Mayor Bob Lanier (Houston, TX)
- Mayor Deedee Corradini (Salt Lake City, UT)
- Mayor Frank McDonald (Evansville, IN)
- Mayor Lee Brown (Houston, TX)
- Mayor Anthony Williams (Washington DC)
- City Council President Cindy Lazarus (Columbus, OH)
- City Council President John Kennedy (Columbus, OH)
- County Board President Richard Phelan (Cook County, IL)
- State’s Attorney Richard Devine (Cook County, IL)
- Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo (Los Angeles, CA)
- Sheriff Michael Sheahan (Cook County, IL)
- County Clerk David Orr (Cook County, IL)
- Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano (Westchester, NY)
Independent Expenditures/Referendums
- Democratic National Campaign Committee
- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- AFL-CIO
- Citizens for a Strong Senate
- Yes on Proposition 72 (California)
- No on Proposition 75 (California)
- AFSCME
- Democratic Party of Illinois
- Michigan Democratic Party
- New York State Democratic Party
- Voices for Choices
- No on Proposition 54 (California)
- Gateway Committee (Cleveland Downtown Redevelopment Program)
- Detroit Baseball and Football Stadium Referendums
Contact information
Chicago
730 N. Franklin Suite 404
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: 312 664-7500
FAX: 312 664-0174
New York City
928 Broadway, Suite 505
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 212 529-5775
FAX: 212 898-0308
URL: http://www.akpmedia.com/
Email: info AT akpmedia.com
Articles and resources
Related SourceWatch articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Howard Wolinsky, "The Secret Side of David Axelrod," BusinessWeek, March 14, 2008.
External resources
External articles
- Mike McIntire, "For Obama Strategist, Ties to Corporations and Nonprofits as a Consultant," New York Times, October 17, 2008.
