Martin O'Malley

As manager of the de Blasio effort, Hyers is credited with designing and executing a strategy that conserved resources and spent money where it mattered in this race, TV. De Blasio outspent his primary competitors on television by $200,000 – a remarkable advantage considering the fact that all candidates faced the same spending cap. This strategy was seen as key to victory, given that TV was the only way to communicate with the diverse coalition de Blasio needed to win.

In 2012, Hyers served as State Director for President Barack Obama’s campaign in Pennsylvania. In this position, he managed a staff of 400 and a budget of $32 million dollars. 2012 was Hyers second stint with the President. During 2004, he worked as Midwest Director for Obama’s ground-breaking campaign.

Hyers first earned his reputation for running upset campaigns by managing victories for Kristen Gillibrand (2006 Congress) and Michael Nutter (2007 Philadelphia Mayor). In both cases, Hyers worked with candidates who faced long odds but ended up winning on Election Day. Gillibrand received 53% of the vote; despite running in a district with a 2-1 Republican registration advantage. Nutter, who started out polling in last place, eventually won by 12%.