Speechwriter, debate coach, marketing and advertising strategist, Jay Townsend has worked in four U.S. Presidential campaigns, scores of U.S. Senate, Gubernatorial and Congressional races. He is the author of 3 books, So You Want to Run for Public Office, The Worst Mistakes Candidates Make and Timeless Lessons from the 2016 Election. 

Townsend has received several national awards for his work, including the nation’s best television commercial aired in a Gubernatorial race, the best persuasion mail piece produced for a Presidential campaign, and the nation’s best newspaper ad for a political candidate.

A member of the National Speakers Association, Townsend has spoken to hundreds of audiences. He has lectured on politics and political warfare at the United States Military Academy, the Marketing Research Association, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, the Coro and Luce Foundations, numerous colleges and universities. He has appeared on NBC, NY1, Time Warner’s Capitol Tonight, FOX News, Canadian TV and is a Sr. Global Advisor to the James Luce Foundation.

He resides in New York City.