Karen Hanretty

Karen Hanretty is a political and communications strategist who specializes in message development, media relations and issue management. She is well known for taking complex issues and creating news coverage that explains the underlying political motivations that drive public policy in California and beyond. She has consistently helped clients develop effective messages, implement successful earned media campaigns and generate favorable news coverage.

Hanretty is also a national political commentator and public opinion leader who regularly appears on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel to provide political analysis on programs such as Hardball with Chris Matthews, The O’Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes. National and state media often call upon her to provide commentary and analysis regarding the political landscape. She has appeared on dozens of television and radio stations/networks around the country and quoted extensively in in the country’s leading newspapers. Hanretty’s media experience on television, radio and in print gives her unmatched insight in providing communications counsel and media training for clients.

During California’s historic gubernatorial recall campaign of 2003, Hanretty served as press secretary to the successful Schwarzenegger for Governor Campaign and managed the press operation for the governor-elect during his transition into office. In the capacity of press secretary, Hanretty helped coordinate communications and media strategy for one of the country’s most talked about political campaigns and served as a principal spokesperson to hundreds of media outlets throughout the country and around the world.

Hanretty maintains a bi-coastal presence in California and Washington, DC where she recently served as a Senior Fellow with the Free Enterprise Fund – a national grassroots organization, headquartered in Washington, DC and New  York.