Karl Rove Biography

Karl Rove was often called "Bush's Brain" for his political genius in directing George W. Bush's successful campaigns for governor of Texas and president of the United States. Rove became active in Republican party politics in the 1970s, when he knew Bush's father, George H. W. Bush. Rove ran the elder Bush's unsuccessful primary campaign for president against Ronald Reagan in 1980, and then worked in Texas for Republican politicians, among them Senator Phil Gramm. He started a consulting firm, Karl Rove & Company, in 1981 and began to pile up political successes as well as complaints about his aggressive and sometimes underhanded campaign tactics. He helped guide George W. Bush to wins in the Texas gubernatorial elections in 1994 and 1998, then ran Bush's successful presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004. He remained a close advisor to Bush in the White House, managing the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison and the Office of Strategic Initiatives. He resigned at the end of August, 2007, and became a commentator for the cable channel Fox News.