Clint Reilly, influential California political consultant, dies at 79

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Set us as preferred Clint Reilly, a Bay Area milkman’s son who rose to manage the campaigns of California’s most influential political figures, has died at age 79.A savvy political consultant, Reilly spearheaded early winning campaigns for some of the most recognizable names in California politics: former U.S.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen.

Barbara Boxer and Sen.Dianne Feinstein.Brandon Heist, Clint Reilly Organization’s head of business operations, said in a statement to The Times that Reilly died over the weekend in San Francisco.

He died surrounded by family, which requested privacy.The San Francisco Examiner newspaper, which Reilly bought in 2020, earlier announced its owner’s death Sunday.“I will always be grateful for Clint’s friendship and counsel over so many years,” Pelosi said in a statement.

“As the manager of my first campaign for Congress in 1987, he brought his unmatched strategic mind to help create and amplify my slogan: A Voice That Will Be Heard.”In a 1987 article, The Times attributed the success of Pelosi’s congressional bid to money — her campaign spent $1 million, more than her 13 opponents combined — and a sophisticated voter turnout program devised by Reilly.At the time, Pelosi was a 46-year-old mother of five children and a party activist known for raising large sums for Democratic candidates.Reflecting on Pelosi’s rise last November, Reilly wrote in a San Francisco Examiner op-ed, “The mystery of being a political consultant is that you never know how your winning candidate’s career will turn out.” Politics Heavy campaign spending and a strategy that frustrated a determined challenge by the homosexual community made the difference for Democrat Nancy Pelosi in Tuesday’s 5th Congressional District special election.

Reilly’s legacy went beyond catapulting politici...