Former Heritage Foundation President Launches New Conservative Effort

In a new article published Tuesday by The Federalist, former Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint announced he is launching a new conservative effort in the hopes of providing a “ground game” for conservatives that has so far been lacking in Washington, D.C.

“Since the Tea Party arose, conservatives have shown they can get new leaders elected to Congress and important organizations now exist to hold politicians accountable when they go astray from constitutional principles,” he wrote. “However, being a conservative, especially a conservative in Washington, can be a tough and lonely road. It’s not enough to know the right solutions. If conservatives don’t have the knowledge, strategies and allies to succeed, this town will beat you down until you give in.

“That’s why I’m proud to announce the formation of the Conservative Partnership Institute, which will support, train, and encourage congressional members, staff and other conservative leaders to be confident in standing for their principles. As chairman of CPI, I will direct a dream team of talented Capitol Hill and conservative movement veterans.

“Our mission is to educate the public and the conservative movement on how Washington really works and how to avoid the pitfalls of the swamp to achieve policy victories. We will provide workshops on the best practices, rules and procedures of the House and Senate. We will help congressmen and senators hire and train conservative staff, connect them with top conservative scholars on critical national issues, and advance the best communication practices that will make conservatives more effective.”

Click here to read the entire piece.

CPI’s website is already up and running. It states the organization is “dedicated to providing a platform for citizen leaders, the conservative movement, Members of Congress, congressional staff and scholars to be connected.” Is says CPI will provide “tools, tactics, resources and strategies” to help make them successful in advancing conservative policy solutions.

The website continues:

Too often, conservatives send new leaders to Washington, D.C., but see disappointing results when they get to here. The truth is that many of these men and women want to do the right thing, but find it difficult to succeed as conservatives in Washington where they are surrounded by enormous institutional and media pressures to bend to the status quo of big government.

CPI is led by former Congressman and Senator Jim DeMint and a team of experienced Capitol Hill veterans who have fought and beaten back the Washington establishment. The organization has access to the best policy research and scholars in the conservative movement, unmatched expertise in House and Senate procedure and the relationships necessary to help conservatives on Capitol Hill succeed in restoring America to its founding principles.

CPI does not take positions on legislation or engage in lobbying or partisan campaign activities. All programs are established for the purpose of promoting conservative policies and principles and are not based on considerations of any political party.

In addition to DeMint, CPI will be led by:

• Ed Corrigan, executive director—a 25-year veteran inside the Beltway, he is largely responsible for the large number of conservatives in the Trump administration’s domestic policy departments. He previously was executive director of the conservative Senate Steering Committee.
• Wesley Denton, senior communications director—a 17-year Beltway veteran, who comes over from the Heritage Foundation, where he served as group vice president of communications, where he oversaw the organization’s public relations, digital, video and marketing teams, as well as The Daily Signal, a partner of Charisma Media. He previously served at Heritage as a senior policy advisor and founder of the American Perceptions Initiative, a research project devoted to understanding how Americans view conservative policies and ways to better communicate their benefits.
• Rachel Bovard, senior policy director—more than 10 years’ experience inside the Beltway, most recently with the Heritage Foundation as director of policy services. She previously served as a policy director for the SSC, advising members on strategy related to floor procedure and policy matters, and as legislative director for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
• Megan Tubb, program coordinator—a former assistant to the group vice president of policy promotion and the congressional events coordinator at the Heritage Foundation. She previously interned for House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C.
• Matt Buckham, program coordinator—a former Heritage Foundation staffer who has also served on the staff of the SSC and HFC. He was a key aide to Corrigan’s efforts to place conservatives within the domestic policy positions in the Trump administration.

Click here to learn more about the organization.{eoa}