TOMPKINS THOMPSON & BROWN
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

J. WARREN TOMPKINS

PARTNER

 

J. Warren Tompkins has had an enduring impact on South Carolina politics for nearly three decades. Experienced in politics and government, Mr. Tompkins’ network of contacts at the federal, state and local levels, coupled with an unparalleled level of expertise and insight, will produce the desired results for government, public and private agencies, political organizations, corporations, and individuals through multi-faceted campaigns addressing every aspect of client’s needs.

 

Mr. Tompkins tireless efforts on Strom Thurmond’s 1978 Senate campaign won him a position as Senator Thurmond’s Statewide Coordinator of Special Events. Mr. Tompkins later served as a senior advisor to Senator Thurmond’s re-election campaigns in 1984, 1990 and 1996. 

 

In 1980, Mr. Tompkins served as the Political Director for “Reagan for President” during the South Carolina Primary. He was named Executive Director for the South Carolina Reagan/Bush Campaign for the general election. He later served in the same capacity for the 1984 re-election effort and as a strategist for the 1988 Bush Presidential campaign.

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In 1981, Mr. Tompkins was appointed as the Executive Director of the South Carolina Republican Party in 1981. In just 12 months, the party’s deficit was erased and active contributors soared from less than a thousand to more than 10,000 during his tenure.

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In 1984, Mr. Tompkins spearheaded the South’s most successful voter registration drive, resulting in more than 100,000 newly registered voters. The number of Republican members of the South Carolina House and Senate doubled under his direction. 

 

Two years later, Congressman Carroll Campbell turned to Mr. Tompkins to help him become South Carolina’s second Republican governor. He served as Campbell’s campaign manager during the election and Director for Governor Campbell’s transition committee. Subsequently, Governor Campbell appointed him Chief of Staff, where he became a chief architect in developing the administration’s strategy for economic development, education reform, tax cuts, environmental protection, and government restructuring. 

 

It was in 1991 when Mr. Tompkins delved into his private practice, J. Warren Tompkins, Inc. Public Affairs Company, which later merged to become Tompkins & Kinard, LLC.

 

In 1992, Mr. Tompkins served as the Senior Southern Advisor for the Bush / Quayle re-election campaign overseeing eleven states in the Southeast. 

 

A few years after, in 1994, he became a strategist for Beasley for Governor and later acted as a co-chairman for Governor David Beasley’s transition committee. He additionally served as his advisor Beasley’s 1998 re-election campaign.

 

In 1996, Mr. Tompkins served as the Senior Advisor for Senator Thurmond’s re-election campaign and as the Senior Southern Advisor for Dole for President. As the senior southern advisor, he oversaw thirteen southeastern states.

 

In 2000, Tompkins served as the Senior Advisor to George W. Bush’s presidential campaign and the Chief Strategist for South Carolina’s Presidential Primary. He acted as Senior Advisor and Atlantic Region Chair to the Bush / Cheney successful re-election campaign in 2004.

 

In 2002, Tompkins was a general consultant to Lindsey Graham in his successful bid to fill the U.S. Senate seat. He further acted as Graham’s consultant in his 2008 reelection campaign. In 2004, he was a Senior Advisor to DeMint for US Senate. He also served as the Sergeant at Arms for the 2000 and 2004 GOP National Convention.

 

In 2005, Mr. Tompkins began a second and separate political consulting venture, First Tuesday Strategies. At First Tuesday Strategies, Mr. Tompkins was a consultant to US Senator Jim DeMint’s 2010 re-election campaign. 

 

In the 2016 Presidential Primary cycle, Tompkins managed the Conservative Solutions PAC, which was responsible for overseeing the PAC’s $60 million budget assisting Senator Marco Rubio’s Presidential campaign. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Florida First Project PAC an independent expenditure, which was organized to assist the re-election efforts of Marco Rubio to the United States Senate.

 

Mr. Tompkins currently acts as the executive director to the Conservative Solutions Project, a 501(c)4 promoting conservative values in government.

 

Aside from politics, Mr. Tompkins has served on many boards throughout the state. In the past he served on the Board of Visitors to the Medical University of South Carolina, on the Board at the Governors School for Math and Science Foundation, on the Board of Directors for the Capital City Club, was a member of the board at Burlingame Country Club in North Carolina, and served as the Vice President of the Cockaboose Railroad Corporation.