N.C. State graduate joins Bush team

RALEIGH -- A North Carolina native is the new deputy to White House political strategist Karl Rove.

Jonathan D. Felts, 34, rose from a writing and editing major at N.C. State University to his new role as of Friday. He will be coordinating White House relationships with candidates for House, Senate and gubernatorial offices in the 2008 election.

President Bush named Felts on Friday to the position of deputy assistant to the president and director of political affairs. Working with Rove, Felts will coordinate relationships with local candidates and incumbents, helping with money for re-elections and getting a sense of the local political landscapes.

"He's one of the political geniuses of our time," Felts said of Rove. "It's neat to see how his mind works."

In a statement Friday, Rove called Felts an "able member of the White House staff."

"He has extensive campaign and Capitol Hill experience, which will serve him well as he helps coordinate relationships with the many candidates asking for the president's help as well as the House and Senate campaign committees," said Rove, assistant to the president, deputy chief of staff and senior adviser. "I'm delighted to have him as my deputy."

Felts didn't have to move far in his new job: down a floor and across the hall to an office in the Executive Office Building, which is across the street from the White House. Before this appointment, he was Vice President Dick Cheney's assistant for political affairs. He previously was associate director of the White House Office of Political Affairs.

He also has worked for several other GOP politicians, including former Sen. Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina and former Vice President Dan Quayle. He served as communications director for Rep. Robin Hayes from 2001 to 2004, and got his start as Hayes' spokesman for the congressman's unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 1996. He graduated from N.C. State in 1994.

But it was in 2004 that Felts drew closest to the Bush administration. He was executive director of North Carolina Bush-Cheney '04, later served on the inaugural committee and then coordinated political events in a 10-state region for administration officials.

One of his favorite moments, he said, was a day spent in the Greensboro area last fall.

He took Bush to a local barbecue restaurant, toured a camp for children and visited a local elementary school.

"It was nice to see the president enjoy good N.C. barbecue," Felts said.

Felt, whose parents still live in his native Davie County, said he still has to pinch himself sometimes to realize where he works.

"Every day I walk through the gates, I have to scan my pass and enter my code," Felts said, laughing. "I'm always convinced my card's not going to work."

For now, he's looking ahead to the next elections, including the races in North Carolina. Here, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is up for re-election in 2008, and the GOP field for governor remains wide open. And, just maybe, the Tar Heel state can expect that little extra something from the White House.

"Of course, we're going to put our resources where they can do the most good and everything," Felts said, "but I think everyone can forgive me for saying that North Carolina will get a little more attention from the political affairs office."