Michael DuHaime

Mike DuHaime is a Partner at Mercury. Mr. DuHaime is among the most accomplished political operatives in the country and was named by Time Magazine as one of the 40 under 40 rising stars of American politics. Mr. DuHaime runs Mercury’s New Jersey and Pennsylvania public affairs operations, where his unparalleled knowledge of the region’s politics, government and business sectors prove as an invaluable resource to private sector clients in New York, New Jersey and the entire Northeast. He works closely with Mercury’s Washington, DC-based national grassroots outfit providing counsel on public awareness campaigns and policy initiatives. In 2009, Mr. DuHaime was the lead strategist for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s campaign. Gov. Christie’s victory marked the first Republican statewide win in New Jersey since 1997 and the largest win for a GOP challenger since 1942. Mr. DuHaime served as a member of the Governor’s Executive Transition Team, chairing its subcommittee on Authorities. His recommendations presaged the fundamental shift in how that state aggressively deals with the dozens of state and multi-state authorities under its jurisdiction. Mr. DuHaime also advises multiple Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, sports teams, corporations and non-profits in the areas of public relations, crisis management, grassroots organization, survey research, strategic planning and marketing. In 2010 and 2012, he spearheaded the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s independent expenditure efforts contributing to the victories of Senators Mark Kirk (IL), Pat Toomey (PA), Jeff Flake (AZ) and Dean Heller (NV). Additionally, Mr. DuHaime served as an advisor to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s successful election campaign on behalf of the Republican Governors Association. In 2011, Mr. DuHaime served as the Chairman of the Republican Delegation for New Jersey’s bipartisan Congressional Redistricting Commission. DuHaime led the Republicans to a significant win resulting in the Redistricting Commission adopting the Republicans’ congressional map by a 7-6 vote. PolitickerNJ wrote “DuHaime led the Republican team to a decisive win, in the process earning the praise of the governor and the thanks of statewide Republicans.” Previously, Mr. DuHaime served as Political Director of the Republican National Committee and in senior positions for President George W. Bush, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain. Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman said “Mike DuHaime is a huge talent - politically smart, an excellent manager, exceptional at grassroots and experienced at building and managing a hundred-million dollar budget.” Karl Rove called Mr. DuHaime “a remarkable talent” with “great judgment.” And Senator John Cornyn (TX) said “Mike DuHaime has an enormous amount of campaign experience and political expertise.” Recognized for success early in his career, Campaigns & Elections Magazine named DuHaime, at age 24, as a “Rising Star in American Politics” after managing the only campaign that ousted a Democrat state senator in a 16-year period. A graduate of Rutgers University with a BA in journalism and political science, Mr. DuHaime now teaches a course at Rutgers. Governor Christie has nominated Mr. DuHaime to serve on the Rutgers University Board of Trustees. Mr. DuHaime has also spoken on politics and public affairs at Harvard, NYU and UCLA. He was a four-year skater on the Rutgers Ice Hockey team where he served as a captain for championship teams his junior and senior seasons. Mr. DuHaime lives in Westfield, NJ with his wife, Dore, and their three children.