Mark Block (born October 8, 1954) is an American political strategist who worked as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

and

campaign manager A campaign manager, campaign chairperson, or campaign director is an individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign's spending, broad tactics, and hiring. They lead operations such as Campaign finance, fundraising, advertising, Opi ...

for

Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist in the Republican Party. Cain graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He then earned a master's degree ...

during his unsuccessful 2012 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.Gilbert, Craig (8 October 2011)
State native helps to direct Cain's ascent
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' Block has previously worked for

Americans for Prosperity Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a Libertarian conservatism, libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States affiliated with brothers Charles Koch and the late David Koch. As the Koch family's primary pol ...

.Block is no stranger to controversy as a matter of fact controversy seems to follow him everywhere he goes In 1997 Block was investigated by the State Elections Board of Wisconsin (now part of the Government Accountability Board) and agreed to a plea agreement and the payment of a $15,000 fine. In November of 2012, the IRS was asked to investigate Block's Prosperity USA for spending over $40,000 of tax-exempt donations to pay for private jets, travel, and computers for Herman Cain's presidential bid. Tax-exempt charities are prohibited from intervening in the political campaign for any candidate for public office, no matter the post. CMD also asked that the IRS investigate a variety of other nonprofit groups associated with Block, including the Wisconsin Prosperity Network
"Herman Cain's deep ties to Koch brothers key to campaign."
Associated Press, 16 October 2011.Biography - Mark Block
americansforprosperity.com, Retrieved October 25, 2011

Early life and education

Block grew up in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Weyauwega-Fremont High School in 1972. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh The University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh or UWO) is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to around 13,0 ...

(1977).

Career

In 1974, Block became the first 18-year-old ever elected to office in Wisconsin, when he won a position on the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors.Kleefeld, Eric (25 October 2011)
Smoking America: A Look At Mark Block
, ''

Talking Points Memo ''Talking Points Memo'' (''TPM'') is a liberal political news and opinion blog created and run by Josh Marshall that debuted on November 12, 2000. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a "talking points memo" that was often discussed duri ...

'' In the late 1970s, he worked for Republican Congressman

William A. Steiger William Albert Steiger (May 15, 1938 – December 4, 1978) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to his death from a heart attack in Washington, DC, in 1978. He served as a Republican from Wisconsin. Early life Steiger was ...

until Steiger's death in 1978, and then took a job with

NCR Corporation NCR Voyix Corporation, previously known as NCR Corporation and National Cash Register, is a global software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and Electronics, electronic products. It manufactured Self-c ...

from 1979 to 1990.http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-block/6/1a3/70 Block founded several organizations including the

MacIver Institute The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy is a Wisconsin-based conservative think tank. According to the organization, the MacIver Institute promotes free markets, individual freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government.MacIver I ...

. He has run and consulted on numerous campaigns in Wisconsin since the 1980s. Among others, he ran Wisconsin Governor

Tommy Thompson Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 19th United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005 in the Presidency of George W. Bush, cabinet of President of the United State ...

's re-election campaign in 1990.Associated Press (15 April 2010)
Some in Tea Party to skip state rally
, ''

Beloit Daily News The ''Beloit Daily News'' is a daily newspaper that has served Beloit, Wisconsin and the stateline area of Rock County, Wisconsin and Winnebago County, Illinois Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to ...

'' Following Jon P. Wilcox's 1997 campaign for the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

, allegations of election law violations by Block were made by the

Wisconsin Elections Commission The Wisconsin Elections Commission is a bipartisan regulatory agency of the state of Wisconsin established to administer and enforce election laws in the state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission was established by a 2015 act of the Wisconsin Legi ...

. These were settled in 2001 when Block agreed to pay a $15,000 fine (though, without admitting any wrongdoing) and not to work on any campaigns until 2004.Chaptman, Dennis (6 March 2001)
Campaign Finance Lawsuit Settled
''Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel'' By 2007, Block was working as the Wisconsin director of the pro-business political advocacy group

.(5 November 2007)
Groups calls to West Bend are legal
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' In 1997, Block was investigated by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and agreed to a plea agreement and the payment of a $15,000 fine. In November 2012, the IRS was asked to investigate Block's Prosperity USA for spending over $40,000 of tax-exempt donations to pay for private jets, travel, and computers for Herman Cain's presidential bid. Tax-exempt charities are prohibited from intervening in the political campaign for any candidate for public office, no matter the post. CMD also asked that the IRS investigate a variety of other nonprofit groups associated with Block, including the Wisconsin Prosperity Network.

2012 Herman Cain campaign

Block met Herman Cain while working as Wisconsin state director for Americans for Prosperity, and both were traveling to meetings in launching branches in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. At a March 2010 dinner with Cain in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, Block and campaign aide Linda Hansen pitched a plan for how Cain could become a legitimate contender for the 2012 Republican nomination for president. Block's rising profile in the Cain campaign gained additional attention on October 24–25, 2011, when a campaign ad showing Block smoking a

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

caused widespread consternation and amusement., Retrieved October 25, 2011 (uploaded October 19, 2011)(25 October 2011)
Where There's Smoke, There's Herman Cain's New Web Video?
''

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

'' On October 30, 2011, allegations surfaced that the Cain campaign might have been illegally funded by Block's Prosperity USA. As a tax-exempt charity, Prosperity USA is not allowed to donate money or services to a political campaign.Eggen, Dan
"Herman Cain campaign's financial ties to Wisconsin charity questioned."
''Washington Post'', 31 October 2011. The FEC voted on January 21, 2016, to dismiss the allegations.

Personal life

Block is married and has two children.Kurtz, Bill (30 October 1992)
Towns get up steam for Bush's visits
''Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel'' ("A Weyauwega native, Mark Block, is a senior adviser to Bush's Wisconsin campaign")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Mark American political consultants Wisconsin Republicans County supervisors in Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh alumni People from Winnebago County, Wisconsin Herman Cain Living people People from Weyauwega, Wisconsin 1956 births

Early life and education

Career

2012 Herman Cain campaign

Personal life

See also

References