Terry Walsh

847-866-5500

An attorney and partner in The Strategy Group's Chicago office since 1995, Terry has provided winning strategies and effective direct mail for high-profile Democrats, labor and our nation's leading foundations.

 

In 2004, Terry was mail consultant for U.S. Senator Barack Obama, helping him win impressive Primary and General Election victories. Obama became only the third African American elected to the Senate since reconstruction and established himself as a rising star in Democratic politics.  In 2002, Terry was a consultant and mail strategist for Governor Rod Blagojevich, the first Democrat elected governor in Illinois since 1972.  Terry was mail consultant for Blagojevich’s successful reelection campaign in 2006.

 

In 2006 Terry was also mail consultant for the Michigan Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign, creating Absentee Voter application and persuasion mail that helped reelect Governor Jennifer Granholm and Senator Debbie Stabenow. 

Terry is a strategist and mail consultant for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), directing member communication on their behalf on important legislative matters and elections, including the campaigns of John Kerry, Al Gore and all of their targeted members of the U.S. House and Senate.  Terry has also worked with AFSCME and SEIU affiliates throughout the country, and has worked on campaigns for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Since 2002, Terry has provided general consulting and direct mail strategy for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, educating the public about the dangers of second-hand smoke and helping to pass clean indoor air laws in states and municipalities across the United States.

Terry was lead mail consultant for the Michigan House Democratic Caucus in the 2004 and 2006 cycles when they added five and six new members respectively.  The 11 new seats represent their first gains in eight years and gave Democrats control of the House for the first time in ten years. 

He was a consultant for the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus in 2002, and helped them win a Democratic majority. The Illinois Senate was the only legislative chamber in the country that was converted to a Democratic majority in 2002.  In 2004 Terry helped the Illinois Senate Democrats add five new seats, creating a “veto proof” majority for Senate President Emil Jones.

In 1999, he was a lead mail consultant for John Street’s mayoral primary in Philadelphia, and in 1998 Terry helped reelect John Stroger, the first African American President of the Cook County Board.

Terry managed the congressional campaign of Frank Giglio in 1994, and was mail consultant Rod Blagojevich’s first winning congressional campaign in 1996. Terry was also chief communications strategist and mail consultant for the Accountability Project, an aggressive issue advocacy campaign that provided direct mail and served as catalyst in the ousting of five Republican representatives and senators from Congress in 1998 and four members in 2000.

Terry has acted as lead consultant for legislative caucus in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Terry received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan, and earned his Juris Doctor Cum Laude from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. He has lectured for the American Bar Association and is a member of the Illinois Bar.