For additional information contact:
Suzanne Hammelman
The Hawthorn Group, L.C.
703.299.4499
[email protected]

For immediate release

January 30, 2020

HAWTHORN CHAIRMAN AND CEO JOHN ASHFORD
PEERS INTO THE POLITICAL CRYSTAL BALL

Belleville, IL – Calling Michael Bloomberg “the great unknown, but potentially, great game-changer,” Hawthorn Chairman John Ashford addressed the audience at Prairie State Generating Company’s Annual Leadership Summit.

Diving deep into the November 2018 midterm and November 2019 off-year elections and looking forward as November 2020 approaches—from impeachment to state ballot initiatives to the ground game of presidential campaigns—Ashford offered his unique perspective on what to expect.

With humor and insight, Ashford discussed topics such as Bloomberg’s spending. He p0inted out that, “It is unprecedented in American politics, and so is his expansion of state office locations not targeted in the 2016 elections. I don’t know where the Bloomberg campaign is even going to put five offices in Missouri … they are going to have to put one on my old family farm.”

Ashford, a Missouri native and veteran political prognosticator, offers a unique perspective on what to expect, saying “Based on what we know today—and it changes every day—I put Trump’s chances of re-election at 55-45%.”  Ashford also detailed TV and digital advertising spending which can provide insight into each campaign’s focus and strategy.

About John Ashford

Once a country and western disc jockey, John Ashford is now Chairman and CEO of The Hawthorn Group, L.C., the international public affairs and public relations firm he co-founded in 1992.  Drawing on communications and public affairs experience gained in hundreds of successful political and corporate campaigns, Ashford now provides senior counsel to Hawthorn clients across the country and around the world.

Building on a career that started in Missouri politics in the 1970’s, Ashford has worked on more than 200 candidate and corporate campaigns around the world and pioneered the adaptation of political grassroots techniques to serve Fortune 500 companies.

About The Hawthorn Group

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, The Hawthorn Group is an international public affairs firm of senior corporate and political communications experts specializing in building grassroots and grasstops support for issues to achieve public policy objectives. With activities and projects in more than 33 states over the past two years alone, Hawthorn has built campaigns that engage and recruit both grassroots and opinion leader support on issues of broad public concern, including: energy and tax policy, infrastructure programs, business development and resource planning.  Hawthorn finds and provides all appropriate means of persuasion, from industry coalitions to individual networking, from traditional advertising to community relations, from media relations to social media, blending all the available tools into the art of advocacy.