Patrick Ruffini
Encyclopedia
Patrick Ruffini is a Republican Party
political strategist and blogger in the United States
. He is a founding partner of Engage, LLC, a Washington, D.C.
-based political media firm.
and currently resides in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.
Ruffini began blogging in 2001 when the medium was still in its infancy, and has been a front-page contributor for RedState
and Townhall.com
.
In the 2004 election
, Ruffini served as webmaster for the Bush-Cheney campaign
, managing day-to-day operations on the campaign’s Web site and helping oversee development of the grassroots tools that mobilized 1.4 million campaign volunteers. Having come to the campaign with experience as an early political blogger, Ruffini launched and ran the campaign’s blog the first ever affiliated with an incumbent President and led rapid response outreach to the then-burgeoning political blogosphere.
Immediately following the 2008 election, Ruffini co-authored the Rebuild the Party platform for Republican renewal that has attracted the support of over 10,000 online activists and five of the six candidates in the 2009 election for RNC Chairman.
From 2005 to 2007, Ruffini served as eCampaign Director at the Republican National Committee
. As part of the RNC Chairman’s leadership team, Ruffini worked to maximize adoption of new media throughout the Republican Party, producing record online fundraising, designing online organizing tools, and spearheading the party’s blog
and social media
strategy. Under Ruffini’s leadership, the RNC’s Web traffic led that of the Democratic National Committee
for 11 out of 12 months in an otherwise challenging 2006 election year according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
Ruffini is currently a partner at Engage, a political media firm he founded in 2007.
In 2008, he co-founded The Next Right, a forum for rising young leaders on the right shaping the future of the conservative movement. An Atlantic profile published in 2008 concluded that Ruffini “looks poised to become one of the most influential Republican political strategists of his generation.” He has authored a monthly “Digital Democracy” column for Townhall magazine, written for National Review, and appeared as a political analyst on Fox News Channel
and C-SPAN
’s Washington Journal. Ruffini’s analysis of emerging political trends has also appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, PBS MediaShift, and Newsweek.
Ruffini's firm in 2009 helped develop the online political strategy for the Bob McDonnell
campaign, who won the 2009 Virginia gubernatorial election. In 2010, Ruffini assisted on the Senate campaign of Scott Brown
in the Massachusetts special election. Brown's moneybomb
raised well over $10 million during the final days of the campaign, propelling him to an upset victory.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
political strategist and blogger in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is a founding partner of Engage, LLC, a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based political media firm.
Life and career
Ruffini is a 2000 graduate of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and currently resides in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.
Ruffini began blogging in 2001 when the medium was still in its infancy, and has been a front-page contributor for RedState
RedState
RedState is a conservative American political weblog.The site is currently a subsidiary of Eagle Publishing, Inc., a conservative publishing house which also owns Regnery Publishing and the weekly magazine Human Events...
and Townhall.com
Townhall.com
Townhall.com is a web-based publication primarily dedicated to conservative United States politics. It was previously operated by the Heritage Foundation, but is now owned and operated by Salem Communications...
.
In the 2004 election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
, Ruffini served as webmaster for the Bush-Cheney campaign
George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004
This article is about the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the former President of the United States and winner of the 2004 Presidential Election. See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his full presidency, and George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000 for a...
, managing day-to-day operations on the campaign’s Web site and helping oversee development of the grassroots tools that mobilized 1.4 million campaign volunteers. Having come to the campaign with experience as an early political blogger, Ruffini launched and ran the campaign’s blog the first ever affiliated with an incumbent President and led rapid response outreach to the then-burgeoning political blogosphere.
Immediately following the 2008 election, Ruffini co-authored the Rebuild the Party platform for Republican renewal that has attracted the support of over 10,000 online activists and five of the six candidates in the 2009 election for RNC Chairman.
From 2005 to 2007, Ruffini served as eCampaign Director at the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
. As part of the RNC Chairman’s leadership team, Ruffini worked to maximize adoption of new media throughout the Republican Party, producing record online fundraising, designing online organizing tools, and spearheading the party’s blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
and social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
strategy. Under Ruffini’s leadership, the RNC’s Web traffic led that of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
for 11 out of 12 months in an otherwise challenging 2006 election year according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
Ruffini is currently a partner at Engage, a political media firm he founded in 2007.
In 2008, he co-founded The Next Right, a forum for rising young leaders on the right shaping the future of the conservative movement. An Atlantic profile published in 2008 concluded that Ruffini “looks poised to become one of the most influential Republican political strategists of his generation.” He has authored a monthly “Digital Democracy” column for Townhall magazine, written for National Review, and appeared as a political analyst on Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
and C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
’s Washington Journal. Ruffini’s analysis of emerging political trends has also appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, PBS MediaShift, and Newsweek.
Ruffini's firm in 2009 helped develop the online political strategy for the Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
campaign, who won the 2009 Virginia gubernatorial election. In 2010, Ruffini assisted on the Senate campaign of Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
in the Massachusetts special election. Brown's moneybomb
Moneybomb
Moneybomb is a neologism coined in 2007 to describe a grassroots fundraising effort over a brief fixed time period, usually to support a candidate for election by dramatically increasing, concentrating, and publicizing fundraising activity during a specific hour or day...
raised well over $10 million during the final days of the campaign, propelling him to an upset victory.