Sal Russo

Chief Strategist

Sal Russo is the founder of Russo Marsh + Associates, Inc., and has spent over 40 years in the field of political consulting, advertising and public affairs. A seasoned consultant, television and radio producer and nationally known strategist, Mr. Russo's expertise extends to every aspect of the profession. He is a recognized expert in state and national politics, and his analyses are widely reported by the state and national media.

Mr. Russo began his political career as a special assistant to Governor Ronald Reagan after serving as a volunteer in his 1966 gubernatorial campaign. After three years in the Governor's Office as a personal aide to Governor Reagan, he served as chief of staff to a member of the California Legislature for six years. His successful outreach to normally Democratic constituency groups brought landslide victories each election. Mr. Russo has also been an advisor to several Republican presidential campaigns since 1976, and was intimately involved in directing the re-election effort of President Ronald Reagan in California.

As a co-founder and chief strategist for Our Country Deserves Better PAC – Tea Party Express, he led one of the largest independent political action committees in support of the McCain/Palin campaign. The Our Country Deserves Better PAC aired approximately $1 million in television advertisements in support of the McCain/Palin ticket and traveled across the nation holding rallies in support of the ticket in key battleground states. At the conclusion of the campaign, Russo Marsh + Associates prepared an unprecedented “Thank You Sarah Palin” television advertising campaign to counter media and political insider criticism of Governor Palin. The ad campaign ran nationally during the Thanksgiving holiday, the first time in history that a TV ad campaign in support of a vice presidential candidate was conducted following the election.

The organization remains one of the largest conservative political action committees in the nation, supporting conservative candidates for Congress. Embracing the call from television newsman Rick Santelli, the PAC has conducted tea party rallies across America and made famous the Tea Party Express.