Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kellyanne Conway

Discover the career path of Kellyanne Conway, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Kellyanne Conway is an American political consultant and pollster notable for her role as Senior Counselor to President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020. She gained prominence as Trump's campaign manager, becoming the first woman to successfully manage a U.S. presidential campaign in 2016. Prior to her involvement with the Trump administration, Conway held various positions as a campaign manager and strategist within the Republican Party. She also served as president and CEO of The Polling Company/WomanTrend, demonstrating her expertise in polling and market research.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

1972: First Post-presidential election forum at Harvard Kennedy School

Since 1972, the quadrennial post-presidential election forum has been held at the Harvard Kennedy School.

1995: Founded The Polling Company

In 1995, Kellyanne Conway founded her own firm, The Polling Company, which consulted on consumer trends, including trends regarding women.

1998: George Conway writes Supreme Court brief for Paula Jones

In 1998, George Conway, Kellyanne Conway's husband, wrote the Supreme Court brief for Paula Jones during the Clinton impeachment.

2005: Co-authored "What Women Really Want"

In 2005, Kellyanne Conway and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake co-authored the book "What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live".

What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live

Check it on Amazon

2012: Senior Advisor to Gingrich

In 2012, Kellyanne Conway worked as the senior advisor to Newt Gingrich during his unsuccessful United States presidential election campaign.

2012: Tweeted about Romney

On November 24, 2016, Kellyanne Conway tweeted that she was "Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney. Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state" with a link to an article on Trump loyalists' discontent for the 2012 nominee.

January 25, 2016: Criticized Trump

On January 25, 2016, Kellyanne Conway criticized Donald Trump as "a man who seems to be offending his way to the nomination."

June 2016: Left Cruz Campaign

In mid-June 2016, Ted Cruz suspended his campaign, and Kellyanne Conway left.

July 1, 2016: Hired as Senior Advisor

On July 1, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he had hired Kellyanne Conway for a senior advisory position on his presidential campaign.

July 2016: Appointed Senior Advisor and Campaign Manager

In July 2016, after Ted Cruz dropped out of the race, Donald Trump appointed Kellyanne Conway as a senior advisor and later as campaign manager.

August 2016: Appointed Trump's Campaign Manager

In August 2016, Kellyanne Conway was appointed as Donald Trump's campaign manager.

November 10, 2016: Publicly Tweeted about White House Job Offer

On November 10, 2016, Kellyanne Conway publicly tweeted that Donald Trump had offered her a White House job.

December 22, 2016: Appointed Counselor to the President

On December 22, 2016, Donald Trump announced that Kellyanne Conway would join his administration as counselor to the president.

2016: Appeared at Harvard Kennedy School Forum

In 2016, Kellyanne Conway appeared with senior aides of the Trump campaign at Harvard Kennedy School for a forum on the 2016 presidential race.

2016: Endorsed Ted Cruz

In 2016, Kellyanne Conway endorsed Ted Cruz in the Republican Party presidential primaries and chaired a pro-Cruz political action committee until Cruz dropped out of the race.

February 9, 2017: Conway promotes Ivanka Trump's products on Fox & Friends

On February 9, 2017, during an appearance on Fox & Friends, Kellyanne Conway encouraged viewers to purchase Ivanka Trump's products, leading to ethics complaints for violating federal law prohibiting the use of a federal position for endorsing a product.

February 13, 2017: Conway claims Flynn has President's "full confidence"

On February 13, 2017, Kellyanne Conway claimed that former national security advisor Michael Flynn had the president's "full confidence", but hours later, Flynn resigned.

February 15, 2017: Criticism and ban from MSNBC's Morning Joe

On February 15, 2017, Kellyanne Conway faced widespread criticism for inaccurate comments about Michael Flynn, leading to calls for her to be banned from television appearances and an official ban from MSNBC's Morning Joe.

September 2017: Gave up Secret Service protection

In September 2017, Kellyanne Conway gave up her Secret Service protection due to "reduction in threats."

November 24, 2017: Ethics complaint filed against Conway by Walter Shaub

On November 24, 2017, Walter Shaub, the former director of the OGE, filed an ethics complaint against Conway, arguing that she violated the Hatch Act when she criticized Doug Jones, a candidate in the 2017 U.S. Senate special election in Alabama.

November 29, 2017: Oversight of White House efforts to combat opioid overdose epidemic

On November 29, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that Kellyanne Conway would oversee White House efforts to combat the opioid overdose epidemic.

December 2017: Conway violates Hatch Act in television interviews

In December 2017, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) determined that Conway violated the Hatch Act in two television interviews in November and December 2017.

2017: Senior Counselor to the President

In 2017, Kellyanne Conway began serving as Senior Counselor to the President under Donald Trump.

March 6, 2018: OSC report determines Conway violated the Hatch Act

On March 6, 2018, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) issued its final report, determining that Conway violated the Hatch Act in two television interviews in November and December 2017.

2018: Special Counsel testifies about Conway's Hatch Act violations

In 2018, Special Counsel Henry Kerner testified that Conway had been found guilty of two Hatch Act violations.

2018: OSC report on Hatch Act violations

In 2018, the OSC prepared a report on Hatch Act violations by Conway.

May 2019: Conway declares Hatch Act attempts to silence her will fail

In May 2019, Kellyanne Conway declared that attempts to silence her through the Hatch Act would not succeed, stating, "If you’re trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work ... Let me know when the jail sentence starts".

May 2019: Conway criticizes Democratic presidential candidates

In May 2019, the OSC noted Conway's criticism from February to May 2019 of candidates such as Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Kirsten Gillibrand, and also called her violations "egregious, notorious, and ongoing".

June 13, 2019: OSC recommends Conway's removal for Hatch Act violations

On June 13, 2019, the OSC formally recommended that Kellyanne Conway be removed from federal service, citing multiple Hatch Act violations by Conway since the preparation of its 2018 report, "by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media".

June 26, 2019: Conway does not appear at House Committee hearing

On June 26, 2019, Kellyanne Conway did not appear at a hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, leading that committee to issue a subpoena for her.

December 2019: George Conway co-founds the Lincoln Project

In December 2019, George Conway co-founded the Lincoln Project, which campaigned against Trump's re-election from a conservative perspective.

August 23, 2020: Conway announces resignation

On August 23, 2020, Kellyanne Conway announced her resignation in order to "spend more time with her family," as did her husband George, who announced he had taken time off from the Lincoln Project and Twitter.

2020: John Pence works for Trump campaign

In 2020, John Pence, who is the nephew of Mike Pence and husband of Kellyanne Conway's cousin Giovanna Coia, worked for the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign.

2020: End of White House Tenure

In 2020, Kellyanne Conway ended her tenure as Senior Counselor to the President.

September 2021: Biden requests Conway's resignation from Air Force Academy board

In September 2021, President Biden requested that Conway resign from her position on the U.S. Air Force Academy's board of visitors. Conway refused President Biden's request that she resign, and argued that her removal from the board broke norms, politicized the post, and would discourage others from serving on such boards in the future.

April 2022: Conway joins the board of the America First Policy Institute

In April 2022, Conway joined the board of the America First Policy Institute.

November 2022: Conway gives interview to House Select Committee on January 6 Attack

In November 2022, Conway gave an on the record interview to the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.

2022: Authored "Here's the Deal: A Memoir"

In 2022, Kellyanne Conway authored "Here's the Deal: A Memoir", which was published by Threshold Editions.

Here's the Deal: A Memoir

Check it on Amazon

2022: Conway joins Fox News as a contributor

In 2022, Kellyanne Conway joined Fox News as a contributor, appearing on programs like Hannity and The Five, and contributing to the 2022 Midterm Election coverage.

March 1, 2023: Conway speaks with prosecutors in Trump investigation

On March 1, 2023, Kellyanne Conway spoke with prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office as part of their criminal investigation into Trump.

December 2023: Conway advocates for birth control protections

In December 2023, Kellyanne Conway met with congressional Republicans and argued that it was electorally necessary for them to support protections of access to birth control, citing public approval for such protection.

February 2024: Conway's firm shares polls on IVF support

In February 2024, shortly after the Supreme Court of Alabama delivered their ruling in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Conway's firm shared polls that they had conducted demonstrating broad public support for protections of IVF and fertility treatments, even among Americans opposed to abortion and self-identifying evangelicals.

July 2024: Conway to host program on Fox Nation

In July 2024, Fox News announced that Conway will host a weekly program on the network's streaming platform, Fox Nation, called Here's The Deal with Kellyanne Conway.

July 2024: Host on Fox Nation

In July 2024, Fox News announced that Kellyanne Conway will host a weekly program on Fox Nation called Here's The Deal with Kellyanne Conway.

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2024: Conway speaks at Republican National Convention

In 2024, Conway delivered a speech during on the third night of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

2024: Conway lobbies for TikTok

Since 2024, Kellyanne Conway has been paid by the Club for Growth to advocate on behalf of the social media app TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. In this capacity, Conway lobbied against efforts to restrict or force the sale of TikTok amid congressional consideration of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.