A pioneering political consultant, Doug Bailey is the co-founder and former publisher of The Hotline, a bi-partisan, on-line briefing on American politics that “covers the coverage” of campaigns, candidates and issues from TV, radio and daily newspaper from around the country, which was sold to the National Journal in 1996.
Born in Cleveland in 1934, Bailey co-founded Bailey, Deardourff & Associates in 1968 and advised the 1976 presidential campaign of Gerald Ford, as well as the U.S. Senate campaigns of Ed Brooke, John Chafee and Richard Luger. Additionally, the consultancy advised the gubernatorial races of Thomas Kean, Lamar Alexander and Richard Thornburgh. The firm closed in 1987.

Bailey has worked vigorously to encourage dialog between political candidates and the public, co-founding the Rolling Cyber Debate, Freedom Channel, Youth-e-Vote and (along with JSA’s Mike McCurry) Freedom’s Answer.

For the 2008 campaign, Bailey allied with Republican Jim Jonas and Democrats Gerald Rafshoon and Roger Carver (as well as the late Hamilton Jordan), to create Unity08, which sought to create a presidential ticket that would have a one Republican and one Democrat. Following Unity08, Bailey put his muscle behind a “draft” for a third-party presidential candidacy for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Bailey received a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and a master’s degree and doctorate from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.