Scoop: McCormick picks Senate veteran as his chief of staff
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) arrives for the Senate Republican leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) is tapping Mark Isakowitz to be his chief of staff, selecting a Senate GOP veteran to lead his D.C. office, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Isakowitz has more experience than the average freshman senator's chief of staff, signaling McCormick's desire to be a key player in shepherding President-elect Trump's agenda through Congress.
- Isakowitz was Sen. Rob Portman's (R-Ohio) chief of staff in Trump's first term, giving him an insider's advantage on the issues that animate Trump's movement, from taxes to the opioid crisis.
- He is currently Google's vice president of government affairs and public policy for the U.S. and Canada and has previously worked in the House and as a multi-client lobbyist.
What they're saying: "Mark will be a fantastic chief of staff and a true partner in our efforts to advance the Trump agenda and improve the lives of Pennsylvanians," McCormick said in a statement.
- "Mark is an expert at bringing people together to deliver results for the American people," he said. "His experience will be crucial heading into my first term."
- "He knows the Senate and will hit the ground running to help Dave and the new Senate majority implement President Trump's agenda and get things done for the people of Pennsylvania," Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), the outgoing NRSC chair, said in a statement.
Zoom out: McCormick is one of six freshmen GOP senators and one of four who flipped a seat from blue to red.
- His race was the closest Senate contest of the cycle.
- McCormick ran in 2022 but lost the primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who went on to lose to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in the general election.
- McCormick's wife, Dina Powell, served as a deputy national security adviser in Trump's first term.
Zoom in: Back in Pennsylvania, McCormick has convinced state Sen. Ryan Aument to give up his seat in the general assembly to serve as McCormick's state director.
- And he picked Sean Parnell, a former GOP House and Senate candidate, to lead Pennsylvania Rising, a super PAC set up to help McCormick.
- "Sean Parnell is a combat veteran and a great patriot," Donald Trump Jr. told the Washington Examiner. "President Trump and Dave McCormick were the tip of the spear in Pennsylvania."
- In the 2024 cycle, Parnell led a similar group, called Keystone Rising, which spent more than $60 million to elect McCormick.
