The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry has hired John Diez Jr. as director of Political Action Committees. Diez replaces Brian Landry, who is now vice president of political affairs for the Louisiana Chemical Association.
Reports LaPolitics' Jeremy Alford: "The data and polling guru who was behind the original Louisiana Committee For A Republican Majority is now at LABI."
The decade-old PAC that was started by then-U.S. Sen. David Vitter to help elect many of the state’s GOP lawmakers is now run by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
LABI says Diez’s extensive background in candidate recruitment, political strategy and campaign management, coupled with his experience in survey research and political analytics, will be valuable assets in its fight to promote the principles of free enterprise.
Diez comes to LABI with 25 years of experience working in state and national campaigns. In his new role, Diez will lead efforts to advance LABI’s long-standing mission of promoting the principles of the free enterprise system by building support for LABI’s four independent PACs – NORTHPAC, EASTPAC, SOUTHPAC and WESTPAC.
Diez got his start in 1990 working for Campaign Opinion and Research Analyst and SCBI. In both capacities, he worked with redistricting data, census data, election results and voter files. In 2000 he moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for national political organizations on data related projects such as redistricting, voter file development, targeting and survey research.
In 2006 he developed a comprehensive plan to recruit and elect more conservative-minded candidates to the Louisiana Legislature. He went on to serve as executive director of a newly created organization, where he oversaw all aspects of the organization’s efforts, from candidate recruitment to message development.
In 2007, Diez started his own survey research and data firm, Magellan Strategies BR. In 2012, his Baton Rouge-based firm fielded surveys in every presidential battleground state as well as polling in all competitive U.S. Senate and numerous congressional races. Diez comes to LABI from his most recent position as the deputy campaign director for David Vitter’s 2015 gubernatorial campaign.