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‘brilliant James’: How James Blair Took Washington By Storm

In early 2021, James Blair sat before a panel of top Republican operatives — including then-Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and then-RNC chief of staff Richard Walters – interviewing for one of the party’s most powerful behind-the-scenes roles: political director of the RNC for the 2022 midterms.

The verdict came quickly.

Blair did not have relationships with the 168 members of the RNC, according to two people involved in the hiring decision, granted anonymity to discuss it. The job went to Elliott Echols, a long-time RNC hand.

Just four years later, Blair is running the White House political operation and responsible for President Donald Trump’s 2026 midterm strategy, the most consequential assignment of his career.

The outcome will not only shape Trump’s final two years in office, but also Blair’s reputation ahead of a potential 2028 JD Vance presidential campaign.

The wunderkind’s meteoric rise, which has engendered doubters every step of the way, is owed in large part to a couple big bets he made last year while he was political director of Trump’s campaign, which, while criticized at the time, helped propel Trump back into the White House.

He pushed the campaign to primarily target low- and mid-propensity voters, and made the decision to outsource much of the get-out-the-vote operation to outside groups rather than run it in-house.

“He sold us on the strategy to focus on low- and mid- propensity voters,” chief of staff Susie Wiles told POLITICO. “Some in the campaign were traditionalists but eventually agreed. And his plan worked in spades. He delivered.”

Wiles was one of several in Trump’s immediate orbit who reached out unsolicited to praise Blair for this story, a mark of the loyalty and goodwill he enjoys in Trump world.

Blair’s move to outsource the party’s get-out-the-vote program in 2024 was also second-guessed by Republican strategists across the country, but it ultimately saved the campaign millions of dollars in staffing and overhead, freeing up money for advertising.

“He was viciously criticized for the decision, and it was 1,000 percent the right move,” said one Trump ally, granted anonymity to discuss the stark contrast on how Blair’s decision was received. “He was totally vindicated.” A year later, Blair, now 36 years old, is again being second guessed as some Republicans wonder why the White House expended energy targeting Republicans like Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene instead of focusing time and attention on vulnerable members or getting behind those who have a chance at knocking off a Democrat.

“People are pissed at him and the White House,” said one Republican strategist also granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.

“We know this environment is not good for us, so how do you save the House,” the strategist asked. “One thing you do is give strong candidates a chance to campaign and raise money in the 13 Republican-leaning districts Trump won that are still held by Democrats. Why are these endorsements taking so long?”

A White House official, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, rejected the criticism that the White House has not focused enough on vulnerable members or pick-up opportunities.

Trump, the official said, has endorsed 162 House Republicans and 15 senators and two Senate candidates running in open seats. The president also endorsed Mike Rogers in Michigan and the White House helped recruit John E. Sununu in New Hampshire for the state’s open Senate seat.

The midterm landscape is never easy for the president’s party and 2026 is not expected to be an exception. Trump suffered a redistricting setback in Indiana, there is persistent voter anxiety over the cost-of-living, and lingering fallout from the drip-drip release of the Epstein files — an issue that has consumed Trump’s MAGA base.

But Blair retains the president’s trust.

“There is a reason that President Trump calls his White House Deputy Chief of Staff ‘Brilliant James,’” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Blair is one of the most shrewd operatives in politics, and he’s played an integral role in helping execute the most successful start to a presidency in modern American history.”

Trump at first had his doubts, in part, because Blair was so quiet. Blair was tentative in interactions with Trump, according to someone close to the president, granted anonymity to discuss closed-door dynamics. “I don’t know what it was — maybe he was intimidated by the office of the president,” Trump earlier this month during a White House holiday reception.

Still, others vouched for his abilities.

“I’d hear from other people he’s a total political genius,” Trump said during the holiday reception. “But I didn’t see it. And you know what? He’s not quiet. He’s incredible — the job you’ve done, thank you, James.”

Walters told POLITICO that even in 2021 Blair was “more than qualified” to be political director of a national campaign.

“When he interviewed for RNC political director that year, he did not have strong relationships with the 168 members who make up the governing body of the party, which was necessary for this particular position,” Walters said.

Blair’s rise has been swift and largely out of public view. A Florida native, he cut his teeth in Tallahassee politics, serving as an aide to then–Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran. He was also the political director of the Florida Republican party’s statehouse arm ahead of the 2016 election and served as deputy chief of staff to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

When Wiles ran Trump’s Florida operation in 2020, she brought Blair onto the team.

After losing out on the RNC job, Blair worked on several campaigns as well as with Wiles on Trump’s post-presidential political operation. He served as lead strategist for Tudor Dixon’s unsuccessful Michigan gubernatorial bid in 2022, and worked on Rep. Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) 2022 campaign.

And, crucially, he worked with Trump allies on races that helped build his credibility within Trumpworld.

He worked with Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz on Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-Fla.) first two campaigns and worked on Rep. Byron Donalds’ (R-Fla.) super PAC, which he helped launch in 2019. He also collaborated with Andy Surabian, a Republican strategist and spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr., on Sen. Jim Banks’ (R-Ind.) PAC and the successful effort to oust then-Rep. Liz Cheney, deepening relationships that would later anchor his influence.

Blair has also maintained strong relationships with Vance and those in his orbit, including Surabian and pollster Tony Fabrizio.

“I have worked with thousands and very few show the willingness to make tough calls, take calculated risks and speak truth to power like James does,” Fabrizio wrote in an unsolicited email to POLITICO.

Unlike many other key characters in Trump’s administration, Blair rarely seeks the spotlight. People who work with him describe him as “cerebral,” “budget-oriented” and relentlessly focused on data.

Blair’s reputation grew quickly inside the Trump campaign and on Capitol Hill, and he moved from MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, where was a senior adviser, to the campaign in late 2023.

When Brian Jack — the campaign official who managed Trump’s relationships on Capitol Hill — left to run for Congress in March 2024, Blair inherited that portfolio, expanding his reach among lawmakers.

He played a major role in stitching together support for Trump’s marquee legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” including showing congressional Republicans polling on the most popular aspects of the bill and urging them to highlight how the Medicaid changes would remove illegal immigrants and the deceased from the rolls and enact work requirements.

According to Wiles, “James was not only the chief strategist but also the chief lobbyist.”

“Working closely with the president and the team, he helped deliver the biggest legislative package in decades, maybe the largest ever,” Wiles said.

Blair also co-led the “Big 6” Tax negotiations with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett and helped lead negotiations for some of the stickiest pieces of the bill like the state-and-local-tax deduction changes.

“He really didn’t have a lot of national experience before joining the campaign, but he’s taken Washington by storm,” said Bruesewitz, who first started working with Blair in 2020. “He’s very revered and respected on the Hill — not just by GOP leadership but also by rank and file. Everybody wants a relationship with James Blair.”