Ted Trimpa

Ted Trimpa

Ted Trimpa Democratic strategist based in Denver, Colorado. He is the principal and CEO of Trimpa Group LLC, a consulting firm.[1] He has also served as a board member for a number of progressive organizations, including the Democracy Alliance,[2] ProgressNow,[3] Third Way, Citizen Engagement Laboratory,[4] and the Tectonic Theater Project.[5]

Career

Trimpa is an attorney and long-time political strategist. He received his law degree and his B.A. from the University of Denver. In 2010, Trimpa founded Trimpa Group LLC, a political consulting and government relations firm specializing in progressive policy advocacy and political strategy at the state and federal levels. Trimpa Group has offices in Washington DC and Denver, Colorado.

From 2008 to 2010, Trimpa was a shareholder at Hogan Lovells and, prior to that, a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck where he was a member of the government relations group for more than 10 years.[1] He practiced federal, state, and local legislative law, with a special concentration on public policy, political strategy, and political participation. Trimpa's political start was as a legislative aide for United States Senator Nancy Kassebaum.

Trimpa advises a number of progressive donors, including leading LGBT donors.[6] In 2006, Trimpa helped form the Gill Action Fund and developed a strategy to invest in state and local political races to identify candidates that were "building their careers on antigay policies."[7] Trimpa also advises donors regarding marijuana legalization at the state level and coined the phrase "weed is the new gay."[8][9] He is also involved in efforts to have states adopt a National Popular Vote for President of the United States of America.[10]

Trimpa is active in Colorado politics and has been described as “one of the most important players in Colorado politics that you’ve probably never heard of.”[11] In 2008, he brokered an agreement between business and labor, where labor agreed to withdraw four ballot measures opposed by the Colorado business community and 75 Colorado CEOs agreed to publicly oppose right to work and payroll deduction measures.[12] He also brought together environmentalists and natural gas companies to pass legislation on health-based emission standards for power plants.[13] In 2011, Trimpa was recognized as one of the top five Democratic influencers in Colorado, alongside Gov. John Hickenlooper, Tim Gill, Craig Hughes, and Mike Melanson.[6]

Political philosophy

Many of Trimpa’s efforts have focused on state-level political and policy changes to “create the underlying environment of legal and political momentum.”[11] As he put it in a profile by the Denver Post, “We should be spending resources and time and effort in states to create an understanding and change over time. Most major social movements didn't start inside the beltway. The change has to start at the states.”[11] A leader in establishing “the Colorado Model,” he has helped lead the push to replicate this model in other states to target close races.[6] These efforts were featured in a 2010 publication called “The Blueprint: How the Left Won Colorado (and Why Conservatives Everywhere Should Care).”[6]

Trimpa has been referred to as “Colorado's answer to Karl Rove” by The Atlantic[7] and was a key architect in the Democrats’ takeover of the Colorado statehouse in 2004 and 2006.[11] Trimpa attributed this success to participating at the highest levels to set strategies and tactics with like-minded allies and overlaying a strategy to target elected officials based on their anti-progressive views, actions, and statements.[6]

He has been outspoken about the need for advocates to support candidates that exercise leadership on LGBT issues and emphasizes the need for money to be concentrated for maximum impact.[6] On LGBT issues, Trimpa notes the importance of creating an environment of fear and respect: “[w]hat is going to get us equality is fighting for it.”[6]

Trimpa emphasizes that gay equality will not come without Republican support.[6] John Podesta, former White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton, has described Trimpa as “a problem solver with a proven record.”[1] Former Republican Governor Bill Owens has praised Trimpa for his “integrity and boundless energy.”[1]

Personal life

Trimpa was raised on a small family farm in southwestern Kansas and currently lives in Denver, Colorado. Trimpa is an accomplished gardener and has a rooftop container garden at his home in Denver.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vyong, Andy (August 6, 2010). "Colorado Political Operative Trimpa to Launch Lobbying Firm". The Denver Post.
  2. ↑ Democracy Alliance, Board of Directors, accessed Sept. 20, 2013
  3. ↑ ProgressNow, About ProgressNow, accessed Sept. 20, 2013
  4. ↑ Citizen Engagement Laboratory, Board of Directors, accessed Sept. 20, 2013.
  5. ↑ Tectonic Theater Project, Board of Directors, accessed Sept. 20, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Roehr, Bob, "The Gill Action Fund: Serious LGBT Politics," Bay Area Reporter, Mar. 30, 2006.
  7. 1 2 Green, Joshua, "They Won't Know What Hit Them," Atlantic, Mar. 1, 2007.
  8. ↑ Dokoupil, Tony, "The New Pot Barons: Businessmen Bank on Marijuana," Newsweek Magazine, Oct. 22, 2012.
  9. ↑ Cooper, Roxanne, "Drug Policy Alliance’s Ethan Nadelmann to Bill Maher: ‘Pot is the new gay’" RawReplay, July 9, 2011.
  10. ↑ Dunn, Alex, "Disillusioned Voters Challenging Electoral System," National Popular Vote, Sept. 27, 2007.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Haley, Dan, "Meet the Insider You Should Know: Ted Trimpa," Denver Post, Dec. 6, 2009.
  12. ↑ Vuong, Andy & Griffin, Greg, "Accord Weeks in the Making," Denver Post, Oct. 12, 2008.
  13. ↑ Bartels, Lynn, "Colo. Clean-Air Act had Short, Strange Ride through Legislature, Left Coal in Dust" Apr. 19, 2010.


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