Josh Earnest
Josh Earnest | |
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29th White House Press Secretary | |
Assumed office June 20, 2014 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Deputy | Eric Schultz |
Preceded by | Jay Carney |
Personal details | |
Born |
Joshua Ryan Henry Earnest January 22, 1975 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Natalie Wyeth (2012–present) |
Alma mater | Rice University (BA) |
Josh Earnest,[1] (born January 22, 1975)[2] born Joshua Ryan Henry Earnest, is the current White House Press Secretary.
On May 30, 2014, President Obama announced that Josh Earnest would replace Jay Carney as the White House Press Secretary.[3]
Early years
Earnest was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Jeanne M. Earnest, a psychologist, and Donald H. Earnest, an athletic director. He attended The Barstow School, a private secondary school, on a scholarship. He played baseball and basketball.[4]
He graduated from Rice University in 1997 with a degree in Political Science and Policy Studies.[5]
Career
Immediately following college, he worked in the 1997 Houston Mayoral Election for Lee Brown.[6] Earnest served as a congressional aide to U.S. Congressman Marion Berry from 2002-03 after working on Michael Bloomberg's first campaign for mayor of New York City.[7]
After working on Capitol Hill, Earnest worked for the Democratic National Committee from 2003-06 under both Terry McAuliffe and Howard Dean.[8] Earnest was Communications Director on Jim Davis' campaign for Governor of Florida in 2006. He moved to Iowa in December 2006 to serve as National Communications Director for then-Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack's presidential campaign.[9]
He then joined then Senator Obama's presidential campaign in March 2007 as Obama's Iowa Communications Director. After Obama's Iowa caucus victory, Earnest worked as a top communications aide in several primary contests including South Carolina, Texas and Pennsylvania. During the 2008 general election, Earnest served as the campaign's Deputy Communication Director.[10] After Obama was elected President, Earnest moved to Washington, D.C. and served as the Communications Director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee.[11]
Earnest started at the White House on President Obama's first full day in office, January 21, 2009, as Deputy Press Secretary under Robert Gibbs. Later, Earnest was promoted and served as Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary and Chief of Staff to Jay Carney, occasionally filling in during press briefings. Earnest is the voice of West Wing Week, an online video series produced by the White House that chronicles the President's activities each week.[12]
In an annual survey conducted by the Politico Magazine in April 2015, he was voted the most helpful press official in the Obama administration and the best White House press secretary by nearly 70 journalists.[13]
Personal life
Earnest is married to Natalie Wyeth, a great-granddaughter of the late illustrator N. C. Wyeth, and a former veteran Treasury Department official.[1] They have a son.[14]
References
- 1 2 Weddings: Earnest/Wyeth, nytimes.com, August 26, 2012; accessed August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Allen, Mike. "Josh Earnest turns 40". Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ↑ Camia, Catalina. "White House spokesman Jay Carney at the same time.resigns". USA Today. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ↑ Topaz, Jonathan (May 30, 2014). "10 things about Josh Earnest". Politico. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ Topaz, Jonathan. "10 Things about Josh Earnest". Politico. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ↑ Roth, Bennett. "Clinton, Obama plan Texas size campaign push". Retrieved August 18, 2012.
- ↑ Guariglia, Matthew (May 30, 2014). "Josh Earnest: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ↑ "DNC Organization-2005-06 Edition". Gwu.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ↑ "Key People-Gov. Tom Vilsack (D-IA)". Gwu.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ↑ "Key People-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) General Election Edition". Gwu.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ↑ "2009 Presidential Inaugural Committees (PIC, JCCIC and AFIC) Organization". Gwu.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ↑ Epstein, Jennifer. "Meet Josh Earnest". Politico.com. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ↑ "The Truth About Covering Obama". Politico.com. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Palleta, Damian. "Treasury Veteran Natalie Wyeth Earnest to Step Down". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
External links
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Jay Carney |
White House Press Secretary 2014–present |
Incumbent |