GOP consultant and grassroots expert Terry Nelson is the hottest consultant in town at the moment, and the former Bush-Cheney ’04 political director’s recent alignment with John McCain’s Straight Talk America PAC is rightly seen as a boon to McCain’s developing presidential effort — especially in Nelson’s home state of Iowa.
But Nelson’s new hook-up as a partner in the NYC-based Mercury Public Affairs
DC office is being viewed in a similar manner when it comes to boosting Mercury’s political and corporate presence in Washington.
Mercury, which has merged its DC office with Fleishman-Hillard Government Relations concurrent with the addition of Nelson, will clearly benefit from having a well-rounded practice, according to Doug Goodyear, CEO of DCI Group, among the nation’s premier GOP consulting entities.
“McCain is lucky to have him, and so is Mercury — they will be a formidable combination,” Goodyear observed,” noting that high quality grass roots capabilities are becoming an increasingly prevalent and important component in corporate communications efforts. “Think of the additions Terry brings to the equation: Bush relationships, Iowa experience, national political contacts… he’s smart and strategic — the whole package.”
One K Street PR firm executive also said Nelson’s new gig “is a big deal,” while conceding that “most of the grass roots stuff is total b.s., and of dubious quality and value. But Nelson’s product and expertise is first-rate all the way. This is a great score here in town for the Fleishman and Mercury guys — no question about it.”