A native Portlander and graduate of the University of Oregon, Robert joined GS Strategy Group in 2015. Since then he has provided dozens of clients strategic advice on messaging, positioning, and tactics. His broad experience and keen insights benefit clients in a wide range of areas, from national industry groups and Fortune 100 companies to political candidates and independent groups active in some of the nation’s most competitive races.

Before joining GS Strategy Group, Robert came up in West Coast politics working on the re-election campaign of Senator Gordon Smith in 2008, and, in 2010, he served as Deputy Campaign Manager and Political Director for Chris Dudley’s gubernatorial run in Oregon. Robert subsequently worked at the National Republican Congressional Committee as the West Regional Political Director where he oversaw all incumbent and challenger Congressional races from Hawaii to Colorado.

An increasingly sought-after political strategist, in 2018 Robert served as a chief strategist for the Congressional Leadership Fund. Selected because of his knowledge and experience with Western campaigns, he directed independent expenditure efforts in half a dozen of the most competitive races in country, overseeing millions of dollars in spending. Starting in 2020, Robert has served as lead advisor to Congressman David Valadao’s campaign to returned him to Congress after losing reelection by less than 900 votes in 2018. Robert was added to the team to help lead strategy and messaging for the campaign that went on to win by 0.8% in the most Democratic district in the country held by a Republican.

Since 2024, Robert and his partner Greg Strimple have worked with Cook Political Report on their Battleground District Project Poll to inform political handicapping that the Washington Post calls “the gold standard of political forecasting.”

Robert currently resides in Boise, ID with his wife Cat and son, Jasper.