The Art of Oppo
In 2019, Republican political consultant Charles Hellwig worked to unseat U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in the primary. Months later, he dealt a major blow to Tillis' Democratic challenger.
Today, I’m proud to share the highlights of a story that has been months in the works for The Assembly: Oppo Man. You can read the full article online now.
In it, I profile Republican political consultant Charles Hellwig and lift the curtain on a the darker arts of politics: opposition research.
Whether self-employed, hired by state or national parties or retained by political action groups, the work of a relatively small number of researchers, investigators, and operatives has major ramifications for who wins and who loses, and, as a result, who controls the levers of public policy.
In 2019, Hellwig managed the campaign of Garland Tucker, a Republican businessman looking to get incumbent GOP Sen. Thom Tillis out of office. But when it came time to submit his paperwork to get on the ballot, Tucker dropped out. Tillis’ popularity had risen as he grew closer to Trump and spoke out against efforts to impeach the former president.
Months later, an out-of-the blue call from a friend of his would wind up making Hellwig an important force behind Tillis’ victory.
What started out as a late-night tip turned into a months-long quest to shed light on an extramarital affair Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham was having with Arlene Guzman Todd, a California woman who was married to an Army Reserve officer that served with Cunningham.
Now, nearly three years since the scandal broke, I can share a few things that have yet to become public knowledge.
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