Campaigns and Elections announced the winners of their annual “Rising Stars” competition.  It is one of the most prestigious prizes a political operative can win.  This year two Californians won: Larry Huynh of Blackrock Associates and Robin Swanson of Kaufman Campaigns.

More on these two and the award below.

I had the pleasure of working with Robin at the Alliance.  She is an excellent choice for this award. According to the magazine, Swanson was selected because:

Since California’s special election in 2005, Swanson has put together a string of unlikely victories. She coordinated press events for Alliance for a Better California that received unprecedented news coverage and helped defeat all of Governor Schwarzenegger’s initiatives.

I have not had the pleasure of working with Larry, but know his Blackrock partner Brent Blackaby.  The firm has done some excellent work for Senator Barbara Boxer and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

During the 2006 political cycle, Blackrock went 7-for-7: helping elect Senator Jim Webb (VA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN), Congressman Nick Lampson (TX-22), Secretary of State Debra Bowen (CA), State Controller John Chiang (CA), as well as defeating Measure 43, a parental notification initiative in Oregon and helping pass Proposition 84, the clean water infrastructure bond in California.

Past winners of the Campaigns and Elections Rising Star include Paul Begala, James Carville, Rosa DeLauro, Rahm Emanuel, Stan Greenberg, Alexis Herman, and George Stephanopoulos.

So congrats you two!