James J. Devine is a political campaign strategist & journalist with extensive experience managing large organizations.
He been at the center of political activity in New Jersey since 1980, having served federal candidates, state legislators, county executives and mayors, among others. As the Democratic State Committee Political Director in 1992-93, Devine authored the coordinated campaign plan that was helped make Bill Clinton the first Democratic presidential candidate to win New Jersey since 1964. Devine's leadership in that position is credited with reversing the party's unprecedented losses suffered in 1990 and 1991, making Democrats at all levels competitive once again in New
Jersey.
More recently, Devine managed the upset victory of Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, a political neophyte who toppled an 18-year incumbent in 2008. In 2009, Devine helped Hillside Mayor Joe Menza overcome the entrenched machine of Union County political boss Charlotte DeFilippo in her own hometown.
Over the past 30 years, Devine accumulated experience in every facet of politics, including campaigns from local school board, city council and mayor to state legislature, governor, congress and the presidency.
| Devine commanded more than one thousand federal employees operating throughout four New Jersey counties while he was employed as a manager with the U.S. Department of Commerce, from 1989 through 1990.
In addition to publishing New Jersey's oldest weekly newspaper for ten years, Devine was a reporter for WKNJ FM Radio, the Elizabeth Daily Journal, and the Bridgewater Courier News (a Gannett newspaper). He is a contributing editor and consultant to the News Record and its website, WWW.NJTODAY.NET while primarily working to advance political reforms and honest candidates.
He also worked for the New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF), the state chapter of Clean Water Action, as a fundraiser and community organizer, in addition to having established the Neighborhood Organization Against Pollution as a fifth-grader in 1971.
Devine studied Political Science at Kean University and has been a member of the Academy of Political Science since 1981. An ardent believer in lifelong learning, Devine has been listed in the National Political Resource Directory, Campaigns & Elections Political file; the Consultants and Consulting Organizations Directory; and among the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1983.
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