Barney Keller | President
Barney Keller is President of Jamestown Associates and an award-winning Republican media strategist. As a young spokesman on a race in New York, he met the legendary Republican pollster and strategist Arthur Finkelstein, who helped crystalize the reason Barney was drawn to politics in the first place: because the people who are elected are given the opportunity to change the world. Barney believes that the principles of freedom and liberty lead to prosperity for everyone.
The media has called Barney’s ads everything from “controversial” to “brilliant” – but he’s most excited when he’s writing scripts and on a set filming creative content for clients that is authentic to them and their story. Barney believes the overall narrative of a campaign is the most important part of winning elections, and understanding his client’s “character in the play” is key to achieving victory.
In 2024, Barney was the media consultant and a senior communications advisor to former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in her run for President of the United States. In this capacity, he advised the campaign on media strategy, managed their advertising budget, and assisted in debate prep sessions. Haley’s campaign went from 2% in national polling to being the only candidate aside from President Trump to even compete in the New Hampshire primary.
While Barney has worked for national party committees like the Congressional Leadership Fund and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, he is most proud of ad campaigns like the one that helped Senator Mike Braun of Indiana – previously a virtually unknown businessman – go from zero in the polls to defeating two incumbent Members of Congress in a Republican primary, and then beat an incumbent Democratic Senator. An ad Barney produced for Senator Braun depicting his two primary opponents as “cardboard cutouts” was called “one of the best ads in Indiana political history” by the local media, and was named one of Roll Call’s “5 Best Campaign Ads” that year. Barney has produced hundreds of ads and direct mail pieces for candidates from California to Maine, independent expenditure campaigns, issue advocacy groups, and ballot measures – and has loved every minute of it.
Barney’s family is the most important thing in his life, and, as a married father of two young children, he looks forward to helping create a better world for them to grow up in..