George Gorton

George Gorton (March 30, 1947 – May 11, 2022[1]) was an American Republican Party political consultant from California. He helped lead national political campaigns in Russia, Panama, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Canada and the United States.

His involvement in Boris Yeltsin's reelection campaign, along with his partners Joe Shumate and Dick Dresner, was the subject of a ten-page cover story in Time magazine,[2] and a major motion picture (Spinning Boris) where George, the central figure in the movie, is played by Jeff Goldblum.[3]

Gorton served on the national campaign teams of Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. He managed all of Governor Pete Wilson's successful gubernatorial and US Senate races.[4] He was the first political consultant hired by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2000 and was the chief strategist for his campaign for governor in 2003.[5][6]

References

1. "George Gorton, political strategist and world traveler, dies at 75". June 2022.
2. Kramer, Michael (July 15, 1996). "Rescuing Boris". Time. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
3. "The Americans in Moscow: How to Spin a Russian Election". New York Times. March 13, 2004. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
4. Wallace, Amy (October 12, 1994). "The Mystic Behind Wilson's Mystique - Politics: Adviser met with guru before agreeing to run reelection bid". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
5. Bennett, Kelly (June 23, 2008). "From San Diego to Moscow: George Gorton's Strange and Wild Assignments (part 1)". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
6. Bennett, Kelly (June 23, 2008). "From San Diego to Moscow: George Gorton's Strange and Wild Assignments (part 2)". Voice of San Diego. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2023.