Consultants to Blend Work on Corporate and Political Campaigns in Venture that Has Big-League Potential

By Mike Hailey
Capitol Inside Editor

October 3, 2006 - They're not supporting characters in a Mel Gibson movie or a Tom Clancy novel or a documentary about an act of Congress designed to fight terrorism. They have no apparent ties to any anti-ballistic missile systems, Navy warships or New England pro football teams. The Patriot Group - quite the contrary - is a fledgling public affairs firm that's opening for business this week with offices in three Texas cities, a wealth of talent that includes several of the state's top political consultants and a base of clients with high profiles and deep pockets already lined up.

Founded by veteran political strategist Denis Calabrese, the Patriot Group features a high-level Republican roster that includes consultants Matt Welch and Kevin Brannon, Austin lawyers Jill Warren, Anthony Holm and Marc Levin and Internet communications strategist Ryan Gravatt. Haley Cornyn - the daughter of U.S. Senator John Cornyn - is starting out as an executive assistant with the potential to work her way up as the firm blossoms.

While barely off the launching pad, the Patriot Group appears to have the collective experience, connections and strategic expertise necessary to compete in the big-leagues of public affairs consulting with powerhouse Austin-based firms such as Public Strategies Inc. and HillCo Partners. The new firm at the same time is considerably unique. While PSI and HillCo focus on corporate image shaping and lobbying respectively, the Patriot Group plans to appropriate a significant amount of attention to political campaigns promoting individual candidates and issues. The Patriot Group could spend as much as 30 percent of its time and energy on political campaigns even though the bread-and-butter clients will be corporations with additional business coming from governmental entities, non-profit organizations and individuals as well.

The Patriot Group's principals plan to bring existing clients from previous practices into the new firm's clientele base as old contracts expire and projects are completed. The new firm will be offering a wide-range of services including public relations, lobbying, communications, media training, coalition-building, crisis response, legal support, Internet expertise and market research. But the group plans to be selective about the clients it represents, offering its services only to those who share the same goals and philosophies about limited government, private property and free market principles.

The new firm already has signed up a major U.S. House campaign and a higher education system that it's not ready to name - and the Texans for Lawsuit Reform is a charter client - thanks largely to Welch's involvement in the Patriot Group. Welch - a former aide to Phil Gramm and a couple of state legislators who won promotions to Congress - worked for TLR for 11 years before giving up his job as the group's political action committee director in order to open his own consulting shop in April. As TLR's political representative, Welch played a key role in the development and implementation of the strategy that helped Republicans gain control of the Texas House for the first time in more than a century.

Brannon, who was also a key player in the GOP's state Capitol takeover, is currently the chief campaign consultant for Texas House contenders Larry Durrett of Jacksonville and Jim Landtroop of Plainview in their bids for seats that are represented by Democrats. Brannon also advised Flower Mound businessman Tan Parker in his winning primary race in a crowded field for the seat that State Rep. Mary Denny decided not to seek again this year. Brannon will be in charge of the Patriot Group's Dallas-area office.

Calabrese, who founded the Patriot Group, will hold down the fort in Houston while Welch, Warren, Holm, Gravatt and Levin are stationed in Austin. Calabrese, who served as former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey's chief of staff, has been a thorn in the side of trial lawyers as a strategist for corporate clients who've been sued on a number of fronts. Calabrese has been a key adviser to TLR and the Texas Energy Coalition - and he's also been a consultant in recent years on campaigns for legislative candidates such as Ann Witt, the GOP nominee against Democratic State Rep. Scott Hochberg in 2004.

Holm handled special projects for Governor Rick Perry - and he's been in the news most recently as a spokesman for Houston home builder Bob Perry - who's only relation to the state's chief executive is as a major campaign donor. Holm has been involved in issue-advocacy campaigns on both the national and international levels - and that experience could come in handy if the Patriot Group branches out as planned to projects around the globe.

Warren joined the new firm after a stint in Austin as a lobbyist with the law firm now known as Bracewell & Giuliani. Her list of lobby clients has included energy and health care firms and other business interests. Warren ran for a Texas House seat in Austin in 2000, winning the Republican nomination after a heated runoff fight before falling short against Democrat Ann Kitchen in the general election. Warren's campaign gave Republican leaders an indication of what they needed to do to make House District 48 more conducive for victory - and the GOP won the seat after the district was redesigned during redistricting in 2001.

Gravatt is a former newspaper and wire reporter who opened an Internet strategies firm that's been handling online campaigns for Republican political clients such as Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs in her bid for state comptroller. Levin, the group's general counsel, is a University of Texas Law School graduate and activist who's led the YCT and other political organizations and served as editor of the conservative publication called the Austin Review.