Karl Rove was born on December 25, 1950. He became a Republican at nine years old, when Richard Nixon ran against John Kennedy. Born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Sparks, Nevada, his family moved to Salt Late City, where he was a master debater and served on the class senate and was student council president for two years in high school. He went to the University of Utah, where he interned with the Utah Republican Party. He is most well-known as the senior strategist for George W. Bush during his presidency; from 2000-2007 he served as Senior adviser and from 2004-2007 he also served as Deputy Chief of Staff.
Rove is one of the most influential political figures the world has ever seen. Before working with Bush, he was president of Karl Rove + Company, a public affairs firm for Republican candidates, non-partisan causes and non-profit groups. He was an active participant in Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign. He was the executive director of the College Republicans, and ran for the position of national chairman to serve the 1973-75 term. At the same time, he attended George Mason University. The election ended in a scandal, in which two winners were declared, and both had used underhanded methods to win. An investigation took place, but since this happened at the same time of the Watergate Scandal, it was pretty much forgotten and ignored. Eventually, Rove was declared the winner. As a result of this, Rove met George H.W. Bush, and his son, George W. Bush.
He took part in his first political action committee (PAC) in 1977, for the representative of Texas. When Karl Rove worked with George Bush, PAC’s were the basis of his campaign. In 1981 he founded a direct mail consulting firm,Karl Rove & Co., and worked there until he sold it in 1999. During this time, he also worked on many Republican campaigns. After he sold his firm, he began work as the chief strategist for George W. Bush’s presidential campaign.
After Bush was elected, he held several roles in the administration until his resignation in 2007. He was then hired to write for Newsweek about the 2008 Presidential Election. He also became a contributor to the Wall Street Journal and a political analysis for Fox News. He often travels around the country giving speeches, sometimes receiving very negative reactions from his audiences. Controversy seems to follow him wherever he goes.
The Road Ahead 