New York, NY
After deciding I did not want to work at a K Street PR firm, I received a great offer from Phillip Morris in NYC after going through the interview process with Korn-Ferry. I was interviewing for a seniors communications job that involved CEO speechwriting and other senior-level CEO interaction. If I took the job, I would be making more money, by far, than any previous employment opportunity.
I was concerned, however, about the taint of “tobacco executive” and how that might impact my future campaign employment if I decided to return — as was my plan.
Karl Rove and I had kept in touch informally since 1990, and I regarded his view on almost everything in politics as infallible. I reached out to him and he said definitely do not take the job if I was interested in rejoining the campaign game, and said he himself was unilaterally beginning to steer clear of tobacco PR contracts. That was good advice I appreciated.
I was also in the midst of a serious effort to quit smoking — a nasty habit I couldn’t kick, and which was impacting my health after years of campaigns, cigarettes, bad coffee, all nighters and a poor diet. My mom also cried when I told her I might accept the job and said she’d be ashamed if her son became a “tobacco whore”. In the end, I turned down the offer and I was back at square one: I needed a job post-NRSC.