Jim Margolis

James David Margolis (born April 30, 1955) is an American political consultant and communications executive based in Washington, DC. He served as an advisor to Barack Obama in both his 2008 and 2012 campaigns for the White House. Margolis is a partner at GMMB, Inc., a strategic communications firm and advertising agency. Previously he served as chief of staff to US Senator Kent Conrad, chief of staff to US Congressman Howard Wolpe, and Deputy Director of Communications for Vice President Walter Mondale's presidential campaign.

Early life Margolis is the fifth child of Frederick Margolis, a pediatrician, film producer, and inventor, and Elizabeth Rieger, a social worker. He was born in Albuquerque, NM when his father served in the US Public Health Service directing health care on a Navajo Indian reservation. Margolis grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, attended Kalamazoo public schools and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School (1973). During his middle school years he became active in politics and elections. Margolis received his BA from Oberlin College in 1978 with a double major in Government and Communications Studies.

Political career After graduating from college, Margolis was hired to manage the congressional campaign of Howard Wolpe. Wolpe defeated Republican incumbent Garry Brown in November 1978 and Margolis came to Washington as Wolpe's chief of staff. Next he served as state director for Mondale in North Carolina, and then in the general election became Deputy Director of Communications at the national headquarters in Washington. In January 1987, Margolis took a leave of absence from his firm and became Conrad's first chief of staff. In January 1988 he returned to GMMB.

In US presidential politics, Margolis worked as deputy director of communications for Walter Mondale in 1986. In 1992, the firm was the lead agency for President Clinton's presidential campaign. Margolis served as a strategist and media consultant for Senator John Kerry's 2004 presidential primary campaign. He left the Kerry race after the nomination was effectively won, after a dispute with Robert Shrum, another media consultant. In the 2008 and 2012 campaigns, Margolis was an advisor to Barack Obama.