Mike Long is an American lobbyist, political strategist, and former legislative aide in Pennsylvania.

Mike Long
Occupation(s)Lobbyist, strategist
Known forPolitical operative
Political partyRepublican

Career

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He was chief of staff for President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Robert Jubelirer.[1] He is also the brother-in-law of former majority leader, David (Chip) Brightbill. He also was the "chief political strategist" for the Senate Republican Caucus.[1] Mike Long is generally credited for keeping the Republican caucus in the majority, which held a 30-20 advantage at its peak.[2][3][4] The political newsletter The Insider called him the "Jubelirer-Brightbill Political Brain" and praised his ability to identify Democratic senate seats that could be flipped for the GOP.[3]

He left the Senate after 27 years after the 2006 Republican primary.[1] He then became a lobbyist, representing, among others, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.[5]

Awards and recognition

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PoliticsPA named him the top political operative in Pennsylvania, saying that his masterminding of Joseph B. Scarnati's independent campaign against Bill Slocum "was one for the books."[2] He was also named the PoliticsPA "Republican Dream Team" of campaign operatives.[6] The Pennsylvania Report named him to the 2003 "The Pennsylvania Report Power 75" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics, calling him "Pennsylvania’s best “in-house” political operative by a mile."[7] He was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Sy Snyder's Power 50" in 2002[8] and 2003.[9] In 2009, the Pennsylvania Report named him to "The Pennsylvania Report 100" list of influential figures in Pennsylvania politics, noting that he "remains a force in PA politics due to inside connections to Senate leaders and his institutional knowledge of legislative procedures" and that he remains close with current President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Joe Scarnati.[10] He was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Pennsylvania's Smartest Staffers and Operatives."[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bumsted, Brad (February 1, 2007). "Jubelirer's ex-chief got $95,000 settlement package". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b "Pennsylvania's Top Operatives". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-12-14.
  3. ^ a b Al, Neri (April 2004). "Some Key Staffers to Watch". The Insider. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13.
  4. ^ Roarty, Alex; Sean Coit (January 2010). "Pennsylvania Influencers" (PDF). Politics Magazine. pp. 44–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2010-02-08. helped mastermind Republican dominance in the state Senate in recent years despite the state's leftward shift.
  5. ^ Grata, Joe (January 22, 2008). "Turnpike pays high toll for Pennsylvania, D.C. lobbying". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
  6. ^ "Republican Dream Team". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2001. Archived from the original on 2002-06-07.
  7. ^ "The PA Report "Power 75" List" (PDF). Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 31, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2006.
  8. ^ "Sy Snyder's Power 50". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-04-21.
  9. ^ "Power 50". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. 2003. Archived from the original on 2004-04-17.
  10. ^ "PA Report 100" (PDF). Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. January 23, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  11. ^ "Pennsylvania's Smartest Staffers and Operatives". PoliticsPA. The Publius Group. Archived from the original on 2004-04-05. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)