David Keene

David Arthur Keene (May 20, 1945 – March 8, 2026) was an American political consultant, presidential advisor and newspaper editor, as well as the Opinion Editor of The Washington Times. He was chair of the American Conservative Union from 1984 to 2011. Keene was the president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) for the traditional two one-year terms from 2011 to 2013.

Early life and education David Arthur Keene was born in Rockford, Illinois, on May 20, 1945.

Keene was chapter leader and eventually national chairman of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) while at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1960s. He majored in political science at the University of Wisconsin. He later graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1970. This was the only time that Keene ran for public office.

Keene went on to become the southern regional coordinator for Ronald Reagan's 1976 bid for the Republican presidential nomination and national political director for George H. W. Bush's 1980 presidential campaign. He advised Senator Bob Dole's 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns. In 2007 he endorsed Mitt Romney for president and was an advisor to his second run for president in 2012.

From 2006 to 2007, Keene represented the Nigerian and Algerian governments while working for Carmen Group, a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm.

Civil liberties

Keene was best known for his efforts on behalf of gun rights. He was appointed by the Bush White House to serve as public delegate to the United Nations Small Arms and Light Weapons Conference. He also co-chaired the Constitution Project's Liberty and Security Committee, and said, "The right to appeal one's detention to an independent judge is a cornerstone of responsible, conservative governance." He was critical of the Patriot Act, and worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to limit the effects of the act.

Keene was Chairman of the American Conservative Union. Keene was a founding member of Right On Crime, a conservative criminal justice reform group.

Other activities

Keene's first book, Shall Not Be Infringed: The New Assaults on Your Second Amendment was published by Skyhorse Publishing in October 2016.

On March 25, 2017, Keene was a guest on Against the Current (ATC), a "content series devoted to in-depth topical conversations between [radio host] Dan Proft and distinguished guests that are masters in their field of study". ATC's parent organization Upstream Ideas wrote that Keene and Proft discussed "the fundamental problem of how to roll back the size and scope of government". The stunt was organized by gun-safety group Change the Ref, which was founded by the parents of a student killed in the Parkland high school shooting in Florida. The group released a video of the stunt that went viral and ends by asking viewers to sign a petition pushing for universal background checks.

Personal life and death In 2004 Keene married Donna Wiesner Keene, Senior Fellow at the Independent Women's Forum and an appointee in the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.