Ford O’Connell is a businessman, lawyer, and communications professional from Southwest Florida.

Mr. O’Connell is a seasoned campaign veteran with extensive experience in local, state, and national political campaigns. He has previously run as a Republican congressional candidate and is a respected political analyst.

Ford has made numerous appearances on various broadcast media outlets such as Fox News, Fox Business, and Newsmax TV. Mr. O’Connell’s political commentary and analysis have been featured in several publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today, among others.

He co-authored a weekly column for TownHall.com on redistricting and the importance of state legislative races during the 2010 election cycle. Ford was formerly a contributor at The Hill, the Washington Examiner, U.S. News & World Report, and POLITICO's Arena. In 2013, Mr. O’Connell authored Hail Mary: The 10-Step Playbook for Republican Recovery.

His devotion to the conservative causes of limited government, free enterprise, and personal responsibility were instilled in him by his grandfather, Henry Salvatori, a longtime Republican activist and advisor to three U.S. Presidents. Ford's experience with running the nationwide rural outreach program for the McCain-Palin 2008 presidential campaign and participation in numerous campaign get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts drives his focus on connecting the evolving capabilities of social media and digital to the best practices of traditional voter outreach.

In 2009, Mr. O’Connell co-founded ProjectVirginia to help Virginia Republicans implement innovative digital media and voter mobilization technologies, with the goal of increasing the Republican majority in Virginia’s House of Delegates. ProjectVirginia was recognized by Campaigns & Elections magazine for this effort, winning the inaugural Reed Award for “Best Use of Twitter” for its work on behalf of multiple campaigns during 2009. He was also named a 2010 Rising Star by Campaigns & Elections magazine for his work. Prior to that, Ford was an intern at The Heritage Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law (Juris Doctor), Mr. O’Connell holds graduate degrees from Duke University (Master of Public Policy), Northwestern University (Master of Science in Journalism), the University of Mississippi (Master of Arts in Southern Studies), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Religion from Swarthmore College where he was a member of the football, basketball, and lacrosse teams.

In 2014, he joined the faculty of The Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, where he shares his expertise with the next generation of political leaders. Ford has also served as a Trump White House and campaign surrogate, demonstrating his ability to navigate complex political landscapes.