Contact: Sean Lansing
608-286-5766
[Madison, WI] – Nationwide campaign veterans Luke Hilgemann and Sean Lansing announced today that they are leaving Americans for Prosperity to acquire The Champion Group, the political consulting firm started by Keith Gilkes, a top political advisor to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
The acquisition means Hilgemann, AFP’s outgoing chief executive officer and Lansing, AFP’s outgoing chief operating officer, will head the premier Republican grassroots and political campaign consulting firm in the country – uniquely positioned with credibility in conservative circles and a record of results exemplified by Wisconsin and other key battlegrounds in recent years. Gilkes, who is president and CEO of recently launched strategic communications firm Platform Communications, will remain on as a senior advisor to Champion Group, handling consulting for the governor’s campaign.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to continue our fight for conservative reform, and to be doing it with a proud brand like The Champion Group,” Hilgemann and Lansing said in a joint statement. “Wisconsin is an important center of the conservative movement and one we know well. We couldn’t think of a better way to take the impact we can have in battleground states and across the country to the next level.”
“I’m thrilled that top-notch political strategists like Luke and Sean have decided to make The Champion Group their next venture together in the fight for continued reform,” Gilkes said. “This company has always stood for victory – in political campaigns, and for the hard-working families and taxpayers we’ve fought for in Wisconsin. Luke and Sean are just the right people to carry that mission forward.”
Building off past successes and existing relationships, the Champion Group – originally founded in 2004 – can improve upon its already impressive track record with the inclusion of 25 years of combined campaign, legislative and political non-profit experience that Hilgemann and Lansing bring to the table. Through their work in local, state and federal campaigns, state legislative and gubernatorial offices, and at Americans for Prosperity and Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Luke and Sean have established a proven model for success in the electoral, policy and issue campaign space.
The Champion Group and its principals, through decades of experience, offer soup-to-nuts electoral and issue campaign consulting and public relations support. In just the last six years, consultants joining forces at The Champion Group have accomplished results including:
· 13 victories in US Senate races
· Victory in WI and MO Gubernatorial races
· $100’s of billions in taxpayer savings across 36 Americans for Prosperity state chapters
· The passage of Right to Work in five states (IN, MI, WI, KY, MO)
· Historic, Wisconsin-style collective bargaining reform in Iowa
Champion Group services include:
· Campaign Consulting
· Public Relations, Communications and Messaging Development & Support
· TV, Radio & Digital Creative and Production
· Speechwriting
· Debate Prep
· Fundraising
· Direct Mail Design, Messaging and Production
· Electoral Data & Modeling
· Polling & Research
· Grassroots & Voter Engagement
· Lobbying & Government Affairs
· Non-Profit Consulting
