PRESS RELEASE from Pawlenty for President Exploratory Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
APRIL 13, 2011                          
                                            
CONTACT: Alex Conant

Governor Pawlenty names Jon Seaton Political Director

MINNEAPOLIS – Governor Tim Pawlenty announced today that Jon Seaton will join the Pawlenty Presidential Exploratory Committee as National Political Director.
 
"Jon is one of the Republican Party's top political organizers, and Mary and I are grateful that he's joining our team," Governor Pawlenty said. "Jon has the skills, energy and experience to organize the grassroots army that can't wait to defeat President Obama. With Jon's help, we're going to unite all parts of the conservative movement around an optimistic agenda to take back our country."
 
"Governor Pawlenty is an authentic conservative who has proven that he can win elections in the toughest of environments," Seaton said. "I've seen firsthand that he will not be out-worked on the campaign trail, and I know that Republican activists and voters will respond with enthusiasm to his consistent, conservative message. They are ready to work as hard as he is to take our country in a new direction." 
 
A veteran of the last two Republican Presidential campaigns, Seaton currently runs East Meridian Strategies, a political consulting firm based in Alexandria, VA.  During the 2010 campaign cycle, Seaton advised several Republican campaigns at the Federal and Statewide level, including Congressman Randy Hultgren and Senator John McCain.
 
In 2007 and 2008, Seaton worked for Senator McCain’s Presidential campaign.  As the National Field Director, Seaton moved to Iowa in July 2007 to run the campaign’s Iowa Caucus operation.  In Iowa, Seaton managed staff, coalitions, surrogate activity and candidate travel while also serving as the state’s campaign spokesman.  During the general election, Seaton served as the Regional Campaign Manager for Ohio and Pennsylvania.  Seaton ran the campaign’s Columbus, Ohio office and oversaw all grassroots, communication, finance and candidate travel in these two battleground states.
 
In 2006, Seaton served President Bush as Associate Director for Political Affairs.  In that position, he was the primary White House liaison to Gov. Pawlenty's re-election campaign, as well as Republican campaigns and organizations in 10 other states, including Iowa.
 
Seaton’s White House job is not his only experience in Iowa, home of the nation's first caucuses. In October of 2004, the Bush re-election campaign transferred him to Iowa, where he spent the last three weeks of the campaign overseeing Election Day strategy and GOTV activities. Earlier in his career, he managed a Congressional campaign in western Iowa.
 
A native of Berkeley, Calif., Seaton will be moving to Minnesota with his wife Kristina Seppala, and their 2 year old daughter, Annabelle.