GOP Strategist Khachigian to Join McCain Campaign

Veteran California political strategist Ken Khachigian, a key advisor to every Republican presidential nominee since Ronald Reagan, will join Sen. John McCain of Arizona as a senior consultant in his White House bid, campaign officials announced Tuesday.

“He’s a great strategist, and that comes from his experience with one of the best: Ronald Reagan,” said McCain spokesman Howard Opinsky. “Anybody with the kind of experience that Ken Khachigian has is valuable.”

Since 1973, Khachigian has been a top strategist for seven presidential campaigns, including those of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bob Dole. He also served in the White House under Richard Nixon and Reagan. In the 1996 presidential campaign, Khachigian ran the California effort for GOP nominee Dole.

Khachigian said he is excited about the campaign but that his exact role in the McCain organization is still being developed. Khachigian said he expects to do some work in New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary Feb. 1.

The McCain camp also hopes Khachigian will help deliver a victory in California’s March 7 primary.

Khachigian is the second leading Republican strategist from California to join the McCain campaign. Earlier this year, McCain recruited Dan Schnur to be his national communications director. Schnur served as a communications chief to former Gov. Pete Wilson and worked as an advisor to other state and national Republicans.

Khachigian, who practices law in San Clemente, has contributed a bimonthly Sunday column to the Orange County edition of The Times for 2 1/2 years. He will take a leave of absence from the column while he works on the McCain campaign.

Former California GOP Chairman Michael Schroeder, a co-chairman of the California campaign for Republican presidential front-runner George W. Bush, called Khachigian a “masterful political strategist” who will be an asset to McCain’s campaign in California. “I’m a little surprised by it, but at the end of the day I don’t think it will matter. We’re just too far ahead,” Schroeder said.

Bob Mulholland, political director for the California Democratic Party, called Khachigian’s decision to join McCain a severe blow to the Bush campaign. “It’s symbolic. The Republican Party is no longer united around Bush Jr.”