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Guest Name
Eli Zupnick
Guest Occupation
Communications consultant
Guest Biography

Eli Zupnick is an experienced communications strategist who has spent his career working with candidates and elected officials to help them win races, enact their policy and legislative agendas, manage crises, and get their messages out clearly and effectively. Eli began strategic communications consulting following ten years in the United States Senate, including six years as Communications Director for Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the Assistant Democratic Leader and third ranking Democrat in Senate leadership.

As a strategic communications consultant, Eli has worked with nonprofits and advocacy organizations to help them develop communications plans, manage crises, roll out new projects and initiatives, and secure favorable coverage in major news outlets. He has written and placed op-eds that have appeared in the Washington Post and other major publications.

As Sen. Murray’s Communications Director, Eli managed communications for her personal Senate office, Democratic leadership office, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member office. He led the communications strategy and execution around the passage of numerous bipartisan bills, including her signature K-12 education law that replaced No Child Left Behind. He was on the front lines of Senate Democrats’ messaging and strategy in the fights against President Trump’s attempts to repeal health care reform, defund Planned Parenthood, and jam the courts with extreme judges.

Prior to that role, Eli was Communications Director for the Senate Budget Committee, where he managed communications for Sen. Murray and committee Democrats through the rollout and passage of the Senate Democratic budget, the 2013 government shutdown, and the Murray-Ryan bipartisan budget deal. Prior to that, Eli was press secretary for Senator Murray and lead spokesperson for her work on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the Supercommittee).

In addition to his work in the Senate, Eli has extensive political campaign experience. He took time off from the Senate to serve as senior communications advisor for Sen. Chris Murphy's 2012 successful election in Connecticut as well as Rep. Bruce Braley's 2014 Senate race in Iowa, and then to run communications for Sen. Murray's successful re-election campaign in 2016. Prior to that, he was a press staffer on the 2008 Obama campaign in multiple states and worked on local races in New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Eli is a native New Yorker and graduated from Queens College with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy.