Ascent Media cody hall

himmelstein oregon BS delve oppo berkowitz

drucker

hardworking am brian kemp --> herschel walker

AI Overview

Cody Hall is a prominent Republican strategist and communications professional. He serves as a Senior Vice President at Ascent Media Agency, an Atlanta-based political and public affairs firm, and previously acted as director of communications for Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Hall's work connects to GOP operative Jenny Drucker when looking at the national stage. In early 2023, Hall was tapped as executive director of Hardworking Americans Inc., a PAC formed to boost Governor Kemp's national political influence. To staff this PAC, Hall and the team brought on Jenny Drucker and Alex Lawhon to serve as national fundraisers. [1, 2]

The connection between Hall, the GOP, Ascent Media, and Drucker has been frequently covered by political journalists, including The Dispatch and Politico. You can learn more about their respective projects via the Politico Brian Kemp PAC Report or by visiting Ascent Media. [1, 2]

Cody Hall - SVP | Ascent Media

Cody Hall is a Georgia native and a graduate of the University of Georgia. He has held several positions in Georgia, including: * ...

Ascent Media

Cody Hall Email & Phone Number | Ascent Media Agency ...

Cody Hall, based in Atlanta, GA, US, is currently a Senior Vice President at Ascent Media Agency. Cody Hall brings experience from...

RocketReach

Cody Hall - AAPC

Cody Hall is a Partner at Full Focus Communications. Cody has successfully led messaging strategy, media affairs, issue and brand ...

American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC)

Veteran Communications Professionals Launch New Firm

Nov 30, 2022 — -- More About Cody Hall: Cody Hall is a Partner at Full Focus Communications. Cody has successfully led messaging strategy, media ...

Middle Georgia CEO

Kemp staffs up PAC with eye toward boosting national profile

Feb 9, 2023 — Drucker and Lawhon are veteran GOP fundraisers. Drucker most recently served as finance director for the National Republican Senat...

Politico

Brian Kemp maneuvers to gain influence in 2024 politics

Feb 11, 2023 — (Natrice Miller/natrice.miller@ajc.com). He also hired Jenny Drucker and Alex Lawhon to serve as national fundraisers for the PAC.

AJC.com

AI Overview

Ascent Media (also known as Ascent Strategic) is a prominent, right-leaning political consulting and advertising firm that provides general consulting, digital strategy, direct mail, and grassroots voter contact for Republican campaigns and conservative causes nationwide. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The firm's strategic focus for GOP campaigns includes:

The GP3 Conglomerate: Ascent Media operates as part of GP3 Partners, a massive conglomerate of 10 Republican polling, lobbying, and consulting firms backed by private equity. [1]
Integrated Media: Rather than relying on a single tactic, Ascent pushes a "stacked content" approach that integrates connected TV (CTV), programmatic digital ads, linear cable, and traditional direct mail. [1, 2]
Grassroots Operations: They emphasize hands-on voter contact, leveraging sister operations (such as Engagement Strategies) for SMS/MMS campaigns, telephone townhalls, and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts. [1, 2]
Key Leadership: The firm was co-founded by veteran operatives including Michael Biundo, Derek Dufresne, and Kory Wood. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

For further insight into their past work, candidate rules, and political philosophy, you can visit Ascent Strategic or the Ascent Media corporate website. [1, 2, 3]

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Cody Hall

· 3rd

Communicator | Strategist

Atlanta Metropolitan Area

Contact info

School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia

500+

connections

Message

Activity

1,037 followers

Cody has no recent posts

Recent posts Cody shares will be displayed here.

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Experience

Senior Vice President

Ascent Media Agency · Full-time

Jun 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 2 mos

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Senior Advisor

Georgians First Leadership Committee

Nov 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 9 mos

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Director Of Communications, Senior Advisor

Kemp for Governor

Dec 2021 - Nov 2022 · 1 yr

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp

3 yrs

Press Secretary

Georgians First Committee

Nov 2018 - Jan 2019 · 3 mos

Show all

Education

UGA School of Public and International Affairs

Bachelor's degree, Political Science and Government

2012 – 2015

Activities and societies: Phi Kappa Psi, UGA College Republicans

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off bs

SVP

Cody Hall is a Senior Vice President at Ascent. Cody has successfully led messaging strategy, media affairs, issue and brand management, and public relations efforts for political campaigns, state government agencies, business organizations, and the Office of the Governor of Georgia.

A Georgia native and a graduate of the University of Georgia, Cody served as press secretary during then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and went on to serve in the same capacity through Governor Kemp’s transition, inaugural activities, and initial two years in office. In December of 2020, Cody was tapped to serve as Governor Kemp’s director of communications, the youngest person to ever hold the position in a Republican administration in Georgia. A year later, Cody left the official office to join the Governor’s re-election campaign as director of communications and senior advisor.

Cody currently leads Governor Kemp’s political operation as senior advisor.

Cody and his wife Taylor, and their two children currently reside in Ball Ground, Georgia.

Dark money group targets Oregon swing districts with new mailers, ads

Julia Shumway - Oregon Capital Chronicle
February 16, 2024

The Coalition for Safe, Healthy and Prosperous Communities send new ads to voters praising Republicans and criticizing Democrats. (Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle and submitted photo)

A dark money group founded by a national Republican political operative and oil industry lobbyists stepped up its efforts to influence Oregon voters this week, sending mailers and buying ad space in seven competitive state House districts.

Voters in the four Republican-held districts received glossy pieces of mail asking them to thank their representatives for sponsoring a bill to make drug possession a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail, while voters in three swing districts held by Democrats were told their representatives “failed to protect Oregonians.” Some voters saw television ads.

The ads and mailers were paid for by the Coalition for Safe, Healthy and Prosperous Communities, a dark money group that has been involved in Oregon politics since 2022. That summer, the Capital Chronicle detailed how the coalition managed to avoid campaign finance laws by carefully wording its missives: Groups that do issue advocacy, or spend to support a cause that isn’t directly tied to an election, don’t have to file as political action committees or report their campaign spending or fundraising.

Nearly two years later, details about the organization remain scarce, though voters throughout the state have continued to see mail, web ads and even billboards paid for by the secretive group. Documents the group filed with the Internal Revenue Service last fall show it spent nearly $550,000 in 2022, with no data yet available for 2023 or 2024.

The organization didn’t respond to an attempt to reach it through the “contact us” tab on its website and has no other available contact information.

The coalition paid for a billboard last fall above the Lucky Thai Elephant Restaurant in Newport, thanking Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, for “leading our district toward a brighter future.” Last April, constituents of Rep. Hoa Nguyen, D-Portland, received text messages claiming she sponsored a bill she didn’t actually sponsor that would have allowed cities to ban fossil fuels in new construction. Republican Rep. Cyrus Javadi’s constituents received mail last spring praising him for supporting police funding, and online ads urged voters to email Rep. Ricki Ruiz, D-Gresham, to demand to know why he wanted to “put tampons in boys’ bathrooms,” based on a bill he introduced that would loosen an existing state law requiring free tampons in student bathrooms.

Most of the bills the coalition targeted in the 2023 legislative session had missed key deadlines and were already dead by the time voters saw the ads. That, combined with the latest batch of ads targeting specific candidates in swing districts, raised suspicions among political observers that the group is skirting state campaign finance laws to hide its donors and influence elections.

Under state law, any political communication that supports or opposes a clearly identified candidate must disclose the name of the person or group that paid for it. Most ads or mailers also must disclose the top five contributors to the campaign, and anonymous donations of $1,000 or more can’t be used for communications supporting or opposing a candidate.

Failing to include that information can result in a fine of up to 150% of the cost of printing or broadcasting an ad if an Oregon voter files a written complaint and the secretary of state’s office investigates it. The agency has a backlog of hundreds of election complaints dating back years.

A spokeswoman for the secretary of state’s office didn’t immediately respond to a phone call or email.

Documents show big spending with Republican groups

The Coalition for Safe, Healthy and Prosperous Communities hasn’t registered as a business in Oregon. The Internal Revenue Service approved it as a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, exempt from paying taxes, in March 2022.

That type of nonprofit organization is allowed to advocate issues, but not for or against candidates. It doesn’t have to report its donors, but it does have to file annual Form 990 returns with the IRS each year. It filed two so far: a 2021 notice that the group had less than $50,000 and a 2022 return that shows it received close to $900,000 and spent nearly $550,000.

It didn’t disclose its donors, and it claimed it didn’t engage in “direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf or in opposition to candidates for public office” in 2022. It has no employees but has three unpaid directors. President Marc Himmelstein is a longtime lobbyist for the energy industry. Secretary Jeff Berkowitz was formerly the chief researcher for the Republican National Committee. And treasurer Alby Modiano was the president of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association from 1993 until at least 2018. None of the men have clear ties to Oregon.

Nonprofit organizations have to report the names of their five highest-paid contractors that receive more than $100,000 in a year, and the coalition’s form shows ties with prominent Republican firms.

The group paid more than $200,000 to Salt Lake City-based Arena LLC for advertising. The mail and digital ad company works with the Republican National Committee and U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, along with hundreds of other Republican campaigns. The Oregon Right to Life PAC, Republican state Reps. Kevin Mannix, Javadi and Tracy Cramer, as well as state Sen. Suzanne Weber, used the company for their 2022 campaigns, paying nearly $400,000 combined, according to state campaign finance records.

The coalition also spent close to $175,000 on consulting from Colorado-based Ascent Media, a firm founded by the former Republican leader in the Colorado Senate. That company worked to elect Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan in 2022, and state campaign finance records show a Republican candidate from southern Oregon paid it more than $565,000 in his failed attempt to replace Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland.

None of the coalition’s spending is visible on ORESTAR, the state’s campaign finance system.

Traci Bean, a Democratic voter in Javadi’s district, started hunting for information when she received mail praising Javadi last year. She’s more familiar with the state’s campaign finance system than many voters, having served as a treasurer for two different political action committees, but she couldn’t find anything on ORESTAR or when she tried to contact the coalition directly. When she got in touch with Javadi’s office, his staff told her they didn’t know anything about it.

“I am disturbed every time I run into these black holes where you can’t find anything,” Bean said. “Because as a voter and as a citizen, I want to be informed.”

Cole Avery, executive director of the House Republican Caucus’s Evergreen Political Action Committee, said Republican lawmakers didn’t know about the ads.

“To my knowledge, our candidates have had no coordination with this organization and had no knowledge of the mailers,” Avery said. “The law allows for advocacy in the political space. Whether or not this organization’s advocacy is in compliance with the law is a question for the organization.”

Ads target swing districts

The latest round of mailers and ads are targeted at seven competitive House districts, four represented by Republicans and three by Democrats. All are held by representatives elected in 2022 for the first time or after a break in legislative service, and they’re all top priorities for both parties as Democrats seek to protect and expand their majority in the House and Republicans try to make inroads. Democrats now hold 35 districts; Republicans, 25.

Mannix and Cramer flipped two Marion County legislative districts formerly represented by Democrats, who outnumber Republicans in both districts. Their opponents’ personal issues – Mannix’s opponent spent time in prison for selling marijuana and Cramer’s opponent visited a spa where he later reported experiencing unwanted sexual advances – and low turnout among Democratic-leaning voters contributed to their victories.

Democrats also outnumber Republicans in Javadi’s coastal district, where Democrat Logan Laity is looking for a rematch after losing by fewer than 850 votes in a 2022 contest that saw nearly 35,000 votes cast. And Republican Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, won his district in the Columbia River Gorge by just more than 1,600 votes after narrowly losing in a similar district in 2018 and 2020.

The coalition’s mailers and 15-second ads praise the four Republicans for sponsoring House Bill 4036, which would create penalties for drug possession as part of the Republican response to the state’s addiction crisis. They include phone numbers that provide a patch-through line to the legislators’ offices.

The ads targeting Democratic Reps. Annessa Hartman, Emerson Levy and Hoa Nguyen, meanwhile, ask where the representatives are as Oregonians die from dangerous drugs. They also include a number.

Hartman, Levy and Nguyen all narrowly won their races in 2022 in districts based in Oregon City, Bend and southeast Portland, respectively.

Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.

STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: info@salemreporter.com.

Julia Shumway - Oregon Capital Chronicle

Julia Shumway is editor of Oregon Capital Chronicle and has reported on government and politics in Iowa and Nebraska, spent time at the Bend Bulletin and most recently was a legislative reporter for the Arizona Capitol Times in Phoenix. An award-winning journalist, Julia most recently reported on the tangled efforts to audit the presidential results in Arizona.

off bs

Zack Roday is a Partner at Ascent leading our strategic communications offering where he counsels a diverse range of clients on their public policy and political positioning, brand development, communications strategy, and paid advertising. With vast national media contacts and relationships, Zack has become a go-to for media planning and training. He’s also a proven crisis manager.

Previously, Zack spent 12 years working in Congress and for state and federal political campaigns, putting him at the center of numerous national political and policy battles. He has run a legislative coordinated campaign for Governor Glenn Youngkin, managed a U.S. Senate race, served as a spokesman to Speaker Paul Ryan, led communications for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and been a trusted adviser to government officials, candidates, and companies across the country.

Zack earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut and now resides outside Richmond, Va., with his wife and three children.

Liesl Hickey is a prominent Republican political strategist best known for serving as the Executive Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) during the 2014 election cycle. She is currently a Partner at the political and advertising firm Ascent Media and a Senior Advisor at Guidepost Strategies. [1, 2, 3]

Additional key details about her background and career include:

Capitol Hill Chief of Staff: She previously served as Chief of Staff to former Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL). [1]
NRCC Leadership: Prior to leading the NRCC as Executive Director (overseeing a historic 13-seat pickup for House Republicans in 2014), she headed the committee's "Patriot Program" focused on incumbent retention. [1, 2]
Specialties: She is widely recognized for her expertise in crafting strategies for Republicans to win in suburban areas and appeal to women voters. [1]
Other Affiliations: She is a Partner at GP3 Partners, a major public affairs and strategic advisory firm, and previously worked as a Senior Director for Campaigns at the ONE Campaign. [1, 2]

Liesl is the President and a founding Partner at Ascent. She leads the firm’s creative process, public affairs initiatives, and political campaigns. Her experience at the national level guides Ascent’s production of captivating advertising and winning strategies for their clients.

Liesl has spent her career crafting messages and content that persuade audiences to take action. Liesl has served as a Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill, Executive Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, and as a strategist, writer, producer, and director for award winning political and advocacy campaigns across the country.

She was a fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. Liesl has appeared on programs including FOX News, NPR and she regularly provides analysis to national media publications.

Liesl is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and three children.

Cody Hall - Ascent Media Agency

LinkedIn · Cody Hall

1K+ followers

Atlanta Metropolitan Area · Ascent Media Agency

Experience: Ascent Media Agency · Education: School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia · Location: Atlanta Metropolitan Area · 500+ ...

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Who We Are

Ascent Media

https://www.ascent.media › who-we-are

Cody Hall Cody Hall SVP Soccer Dad. Gospel Music Lover. Better Runner Than Golfer. Go Dawgs. Want to get updates on the latest media trends and company updates?

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Cody Hall Email & Phone Number | Ascent Media Agency ...

RocketReach

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Cody Hall, based in Atlanta, GA, US, is currently a Senior Vice President at Ascent Media Agency. Cody Hall brings experience from previous roles at Georgians ...Read more

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Cody Hall

American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC)

https://theaapc.org › event_speaker › cody-hall

Cody Hall is a Partner at Full Focus Communications. Cody has successfully led messaging strategy, media affairs, issue and brand management, and public ...Read more

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Veteran Communications Professionals Launch New Firm

Middle Georgia CEO

https://middlegeorgiaceo.com › news › 2022/11 › vetera...

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Former Gov. Sonny Perdue cast himself as an experienced ...

Facebook · The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

100+ reactions · 5 years ago

Former Gov. Sonny Perdue cast himself as an experienced public leader who could bring stability to the state’s higher education system in an interview ...