Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump’s head campaign manager, was the first female campaign manager for a Republican presidential candidate. Not only that, in November 2016, she became the first women ever to run a winning presidential campaign. Parker Lee of the Independent Journal Review writes, “[the] woman who did make history that [election] night seems to have had her accomplishment overlooked by much of the media.” How did she help Trump win? What were her campaign tactics? What did she do that Hilary Clinton’s team failed to do? Was there a silent majority? What voters did she appeal to? Kellyanne Conway made women’s history, yet how she did so is mostly a mystery. As Lee noted, Conway faced numerous criticisms during her time as Trump’s campaign director, yet “her decidedly historical achievement as a woman has been generally overlooked.” This, Lee wrote, “might have more to do with her political affiliation than anything else.”
Yet the story of Conway’s pioneering successes went largely unreported in the establishment press, or these historic firsts received only passing comment. The corporate media did not discuss how she did it or the implications for women throughout the United States. Though Hilary Clinton did not win the presidential election, surely having a woman successfully run a presidential campaign is a noteworthy news story.
Corporate media giant FOX News covered the story two days later, which is not a surprise because it leans to the right—in line with Conway’s loyalties. In March 2017, Cosmopolitan magazine ran a feature on Conway. For the most part, however, the corporate media were silent. As of March 8, 2017, there is still very little detail in corporate news coverage about how this woman made history.
Sources:
Parker Lee, “Kellyanne Conway Took a Beating Running Trump’s Campaign, But Her History-Making Win is Being Ignored,” Independent Journal Review, December 2016, http://ijr.com/2016/11/733869-kellyanne-conway-took-a-beating-running-trumps-campaign-but-her-history-making-win-is-being-ignored/.
Jack Phillips, “Trump Campaign Manger Kellyanne Conway Makes History,” Epoch Times, November 10, 2016, http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2184453-trump-campaign-manager-kellyanne-conway-makes-history/.
Student Researcher: Diana Costanzo (College of Western Idaho)
Faculty Evaluator: Michelle Mahoney (College of Western Idaho)