Washington, D.C. – Mercury, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm, announced the addition of former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former U.S. Senator David Vitter to the firm’s growing partnership. Villaraigosa and Vitter, who joined Mercury’s Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. offices in 2018 and 2017, respectively, after decades of service at the highest levels of government, will continue leading the firm’s rapid growth across the national public strategy, government relations and strategic communication sectors.
“Antonio and David represent the best of Mercury culture – a relentless obsession with delivering measurable outcomes and success for our clients, while focusing on collaboration and mentoring with colleagues,” said Kieran Mahoney, Mercury’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Antonio Villaraigosa is one of the prominent and respected leaders in California politics, and he has deeply impacted our firm since joining two years ago,” said Hon. Fabian Núñez, partner at Mercury. “Antonio’s unmatched experience building bipartisan coalitions at the intersection of labor, government and business has made him an essential member of our firm and a trusted advisor to our clients. With his leadership, Mercury will continue to provide value to our clients and grow our footprint in California and around the globe.”
“We are excited to welcome David Vitter into Mercury’s partnership,” said Mike DuHaime, partner at Mercury. “David Vitter is a distinguished public servant with decades of experience driving landmark legislation in Congress and fighting some of the most important policy battles across the Gulf South. He has become one of the nation’s top government relations strategists, and his strong leadership will continue to propel our firm forward.”
Villaraigosa has served as Co-Chair in Mercury’s Los Angeles office since 2018, where he has spearheaded developing the office’s strategic communications and crisis communications consulting practices. A veteran local public official who served two terms as Mayor of the City of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013, Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1998 to 2000, and Democratic Majority Leader of the California State Assembly from 1996 to 1998, Villaraigosa is a respected voice in American politics and a prominent policymaker with a keen understanding of America’s mainstream and emerging communities.
Prior to his election as mayor, Villaraigosa served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 2003 to 2005. From 1994 through 2000, he served in the California State Assembly as Democratic Whip, Majority Leader and Speaker of the Assembly. Antonio was a member of President Obama’s Transition Economic Advisory Board, the 2012 Chairman of the Democratic National Convention and President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Villaraigosa has served in academia, as a fellow at Harvard University and a professor in public policy at the University of Southern California. He was also a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he has worked in the private sector as a senior advisor with Banc of California and served on the McGraw-Hill Global Education board of directors.
Vitter has served as Co-Chairman of Mercury in Washington, D.C since 2017, where he has focused on strategic government relations and led the development of Mercury’s Gulf South operations. A veteran legislator, Vitter served two consecutive terms as a United States Senator for Louisiana from 2005-2017 and represented the 1st District of Louisiana in the U.S. House prior to his years in the Senate. Throughout his 17 years serving both houses of Congress, Vitter earned a reputation as a strong conservative voice for reform, working to curb excessive power and overreach in Washington.
Vitter served as the Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, helping to craft and pass major legislation including: the landmark Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act; the Water Resources Reform and Development Act; and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. Vitter also served as a member of the Republican Whip Team, Chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and as a leading member of the Banking Committee. He gained vast experience in many areas of public policy through his leading role in Hurricane Katrina response and recovery.
About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. Our firm is not just led by top talent — we distinguish ourselves by having senior talent deeply engaged in each project from start to finish, a promise we keep to clients. The firm has an established global presence, with U.S. offices in Washington, DC, New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Tennessee, as well as international offices in London and Mexico City. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.
About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,300 public relations professionals in more than 370 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group delivers for clients through a relentless focus on talent, continuous pursuit of innovation and a culture steeped in collaboration. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.
Contact:
Katya Myagkova
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