Steve is a 26 year survivor of Florida politics, where he is a political, communications and government relations strategist.
Steve has played an important role in three Presidential campaigns - even though most sane observers of politics recommend doing no more than two. In 2008, Steve directed the Obama/Biden campaign in Florida, leading the largest political operation in Florida history to a win for President Obama, and in 2012, served as a Senior Advisor to the re-election. In 2015, Steve served as the primary national spokesperson for the Draft Joe Biden campaign, and while history will show that draft effort didn't work, in 2020, Steve ran Unite the Country, a pro-Biden SuperPAC founded in October 2019 to support the candidacy of Joe Biden, which provided critical support in the early states, and won numerous awards for its strategic efforts in the general election.
Back home, earlier in his career, Steve ran the Florida Democratic Party’s House Democratic Caucus, during which Florida Democrats picked off nine Republican seats in the state house, the party’s biggest gain in over forty years. In 2014, Steve was the general consultant to Gwen Graham, who was one of only two Democrats to defeat a Republican incumbent that cycle. Over his career, he has worked on countless - arguably too many Florida races at all levels of the ballot.
These days, Steve does most of his work with The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners, where he priovidesstrategic advice to a number of clients, including Walt Disney World, AT&T, Waymo, and Florida Public Media. Previously, Steve has worked for the Florida Justice Association, as well as the craft beer industry.
A native of Kankakee, IL and St. Augustine, FL, Steve now lives in Tallahassee with his wife Nikole, two dogs, and a horse. He graduated from University of the South in 1996 with degrees in History and Political Science and received his Masters in Communications from Florida State University in 2009. He used to be a halfway decent golfer, and as a long suffering Jacksonville Jaguars fan, he's well equipped to handle the disappointments of a career in politics.
Outside of politics, Steve serves on the board of the American Council of Young Political Leaders, through which he is involved in mentoring young leaders around the globe. He is also on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida, and is a member of Leadership Florida, Class 31. And when elections aren't happening, there is a decent chance you will probably find Steve traveling to some off the grid corner of the world -- or at least wishing that is what he was doing.
You can reach Steve at sps@cardenaspartners.com