Clint Reed worked for the re-election campaign of President George W. Bush in 2004 and was executive director of the Republican Party in Arkansas from 2004 to 2007. After two years as regional political director for the Republican National Committee, he joined Impact Management Group as a partner in 2009.
A graduate of Lyon College with a master’s from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Reed was an Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honoree in 2009, and was hired in 2015 as Iowa campaign director for Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential bid.
Impact Management Group is a lobbying, public affairs and political consulting firm with offices in Little Rock and Baton Rouge.
With so much money flowing into the political arena, you seem to be in a growth industry. How has your company grown?
Our company has grown steadily, but not just because of, as you describe, “so much money flowing into the political arena.” We have grown because of years of hard work cultivating deep, personal relationships at every political level. We are a Republican firm. So with the growth in the Republican Party here in Arkansas, we have seen great growth in our lobbying, public affairs and political practice areas. We constantly stay focused on the fundamentals of our practice areas and try to only control what we can control. It has served us well so far.
What services are politicians seeking these days? Has that changed during your career?
Politicians are still seeking a lot of the same services as 10 years ago: general consulting, communications, polling, television production and placement, direct mail production and get-out-the-vote programs. One area of significant change is the prominent role that social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter) are playing. People are getting their information from different sources, and that requires tactical adjustments. Social media and their effective deployment have become a major political tool that did not exist 10 years ago.
What factors does Impact Management Group consider when deciding whether to work for a particular candidate? Has this changed over the years?
We are a Republican firm, so we work with Republican candidates. Primarily, I want to know if a candidate represents mainstream conservative principles. It’s important to point out that I don’t expect them to adhere to every conservative doctrine that I personally believe in, and that is OK. From there, I view it as my job to put together a road map to help that person get elected.
What should Arkansas Business readers watch for this election season?
A very volatile general election. Both major party candidates begin their respective general election campaigns being extremely unpopular among the average public. It will be an extremely negative campaign. In addition, I think many of the traditional battleground states could be replaced with new battleground states. I’d watch to see if states like Pennsylvania and Maine become target states for Donald Trump.
Who’s getting your vote in November?
Candidates who can show they reflect the views of the modern conservative movement. Ask me again in October.
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