Joe Slade White, counsel emeritus
"Beware of detailed plans masquerading as a strategy. Their appearance of substance is the only thing more dangerous than no planning at all."
-Joe Slade White
Joe Slade White left us a legacy of his brilliance, his teachings and his love of words.
He inspired us always and was recognized as one of the most innovative and successful national media strategists and producers in the field. In 2014, he was named National Democratic Strategist of the Year by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC). Joe has served as the media strategist for Vice President Joe Biden for the last 21 years.
A thirty-seven-year veteran of over four hundred political campaigns nationwide, Joe compiled a lifetime winning record of over 75%. Clients included Presidential candidates, U.S. Senators, Governors, Members of Congress, and Mayors, as well as statewide and local initiatives, and Fortune 500 corporations throughout the country.
Joe began his political career at 21, while a senior at Georgetown University, on the staff of Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign. His place on the presidential campaign’s traveling staff also earned him a spot as one of the youngest members of President Richard Nixon’s infamous “White House Enemies List.” Joe then served as Senator McGovern’s U. S. Senate Press Secretary, before starting his own company at the age of 23.
Joe won more “Pollie Awards” for excellence in political television than any other Democratic media consultant. In a study based on the difficulty of consultants’ campaigns, Campaign Magazine named Joe Slade White & Company Inc., Joe’s firm, as one of the “Four Most Effective Political Consulting Firms in the Country.” In 2012, he helped elect the only Democratic woman governor in the country, New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan. In the 2008 elections, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza chose “Kitchen Table” a TV spot created for Joe Biden as one of the five best in the nation. The Washington Post named two of Joe’s campaigns, for Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and for Congressman Chet Edwards of Texas, as two of the “Ten Best Run Incumbent Campaigns in the Nation.” And Salon.com chose one of Joe’s TV spots for Granholm, “Twins” as one of the five best TV spots in the country. Granholm won despite a billionaire opponent who outspent her by $27 million dollars.
Prior to his passing in 2021, Joe was an advisor for Lexicon Strategies's engagements. His experience, expertise and teachings have become a core component of Lexicon’s comprehensive offerings.