AKP&D Message & Media

AKP&D Message & Media, formerly Axelrod & Associates, is a Chicago-based political consulting firm serving Democratic candidates.

Moonlighting at ASK
Working from the same office as his AKP&D firm, David Axelrod "operates a second business, ASK Public Strategies, that discreetly plots strategy and advertising campaigns for corporate clients," reported BusinessWeek. Axelrod's ASK partners are John Kupper and Eric Sedler, the latter previously of AT&T and Edelman.

ASK is known for creating front groups. Chicago Alder Brendan Reilly called ASK "the gold standard in Astroturf organizing." In 2005, as ComEd was "preparing to ask [Illinois] state regulators for higher electricity prices," ASK advised the company to form "Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity." The front group, which described itself as "a coalition of individuals, businesses and organizations," funded ads that warned of blackouts unless rates were raised. Around the same time, ASK helped Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden, oppose the New York Jets's plans to build a new stadium in Manhattan. Cablevision formed the "New York Association for Better Choices," and ran anti-stadium ads in its name. ASK's other work includes helping AT&T defend municipal broadband referenda.

Partners

 * David Axelrod
 * John Kupper
 * David Plouffe
 * John Del Cecato

Federal

 * Obama for President
 * Edwards for President
 * Clinton for President
 * Simon for President
 * U.S. Senator Barack Obama (Illinois)
 * U.S. Senator Herb Kohl
 * U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (Connecticut)
 * U.S. Senator Carol Mosely-Braun (Illinois)
 * U.S. Senator Paul Simon (Illinois)
 * U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson (Illinois)
 * U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy (Rhode Island)
 * U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Illinois)
 * U.S. Rep. Rod Blagojevich (Illinois)
 * U.S. Rep. Jill Long (Indiana)
 * U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens (Utah)
 * U.S. Rep. Frank McCloskey (Indiana)
 * U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard (Illinois)
 * U.S. Rep. Frank Annunzio (Illinois)
 * U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.)
 * U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (Illinois)
 * U.S. Rep. Eric Fingerhut (Ohio)
 * U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen (Texas)

Statewide

 * Governor Deval Patrick (Massachusetts)
 * Governor Tom Vilsack (Iowa)
 * Governor Tony Earl (Wisconsin)
 * Dennis Miehl For Lt. Gov. (New York)
 * Lt. Gov. Gray Davis (California)
 * Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (Illinois)
 * Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
 * Attorney General Lee Fisher (Ohio)
 * Attorney General Bonnie Campbell (Iowa)
 * Attorney General Fred Cowan (Kentucky)
 * Comptroller Carl McCall (New York)
 * Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch (Illinois)
 * Treasurer Pat Quinn (Illinois)
 * Treasurer Mary Landrieu (Louisiana)
 * Supreme Court Justice Miriam Shearing (Nevada)
 * Supreme Court Justice Francis Sweeney (Ohio)
 * Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson (Wisconsin)

Local

 * Mayor Richard M. Daley (Chicago, IL)
 * Mayor John F. Street (Philadelphia, PA)
 * Mayor Harold Washington (Chicago, IL)
 * Mayor Dennis W. Archer (Detroit, MI)
 * Mayor Michael R. White (Cleveland, OH)
 * Mayor Bob Lanier (Houston, TX)
 * Mayor Deedee Corradini (Salt Lake City, UT)
 * Mayor Frank McDonald (Evansville, IN)
 * Mayor Lee Brown (Houston, TX)
 * Mayor Anthony Williams (Washington DC)
 * City Council President Cindy Lazarus (Columbus, OH)
 * City Council President John Kennedy (Columbus, OH)
 * County Board President Richard Phelan (Cook County, IL)
 * State’s Attorney Richard Devine (Cook County, IL)
 * Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo (Los Angeles, CA)
 * Sheriff Michael Sheahan (Cook County, IL)
 * County Clerk David Orr (Cook County, IL)
 * Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano (Westchester, NY)

Independent Expenditures/Referendums

 * Democratic National Campaign Committee
 * Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
 * AFL-CIO
 * Citizens for a Strong Senate
 * Yes on Proposition 72 (California)
 * No on Proposition 75 (California)
 * AFSCME
 * Democratic Party of Illinois
 * Michigan Democratic Party
 * New York State Democratic Party
 * Voices for Choices
 * No on Proposition 54 (California)
 * Gateway Committee (Cleveland Downtown Redevelopment Program)
 * Detroit Baseball and Football Stadium Referendums

Contact information
Chicago 730 N. Franklin Suite 404 Chicago, IL 60610 Phone: 312 664-7500 FAX: 312 664-0174

New York City 928 Broadway, Suite 505 New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212 529-5775 FAX: 212 898-0308 URL: http://www.akpmedia.com/ Email: info AT akpmedia.com

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Barack Obama: U.S. presidential election, 2008
 * David Axelrod

External articles

 * Mike McIntire, "For Obama Strategist, Ties to Corporations and Nonprofits as a Consultant," New York Times, October 17, 2008.