Current Position: Chief of Staff to Sen. Tom Coburn (since January 2005)
Why He Matters
Sen. Coburn and Schwartz, his top aide, are bound to be influential figures in the fight over the future of the Republican Party. Both men have proven their conservative bona fides over the years and are likely to resist attempts to moderate the party’s platform.
Coburn could assume a prominent leadership role in the 111th Congress and will continue to be a vocal proponent of fiscal and social conservatism.
Schwartz will join the fight behind the scenes; his extensive work in conservative advocacy groups gives him a powerful network of associates he can leverage to influence the direction of the Republican agenda. That network also may be mobilized during battles over judicial appointments; a prime concern for Coburn, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and for Schwartz, who has been an outspoken critic of the courts.
In September 2009, Schwartz made news at the Values Voters summit when he said that pornography could be used to lure young people into homosexual lifestyles.
At a Glance
Current Position: Chief of Staff, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) (since 2005)
Career History: Vice president of government relations, Concerned Women for America (2000 to 2004); Chief of Staff, Rep. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) (... to 2000); House Family Caucus, executive director (1995 to ...)
Birthday: N/A
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
Alma Mater: N/A
Spouse: N/A
Religion: N/A
DC Office: 172 Russell Senate Office Building, 202-224-5754
Email
Web site N/A
Path to Power
Schwartz grew up in inner city Philadelphia in what he has described as a troubled home. “My own family had all the social pathologies—drug abuse, welfare dependency, illegitimacy—and I've seen how public policy makes it more difficult,” he told the National Journal in 1996. His parents divorced when he was young, and Schwartz credits Catholic school for helping him get his life on track.
Schwartz began his ascent in the conservative movement with the anti-abortion rights group Operation Rescue, where he worked as an organizer in the early 1980s. From there, Schwartz moved to a position at the Free Congress Foundation in Washington, an influential conservative think tank founded by Republican strategist Paul Weyrich. Schwartz served as director of the organization’s Center for Social Policy and co-authored “Gay, AIDS and You,” with The Rev. Enrique Rueda in 1987. When Weyrich decided to launch “National Empowerment Television” in 1992, an interactive satellite program aimed at mobilizing conservative activists, Schwartz co-hosted one of the programs with him.
Schwartz arrived on Capitol Hill in 1995, when he was named executive director of the newly formed House Family Caucus. That alliance of conservative lawmakers in the House began as an informal prayer breakfast with Christian radio broadcaster James Dobson and gradually turned into a formal strategy session on social issues. Schwartz later became then-Rep. Tom Coburn’s chief of staff.
When Coburn retired from the House in 2000, Schwartz was hired as vice president of government relations at Concerned Women for America, an advocacy group founded by Beverly LaHaye as a conservative foil to liberal feminist groups such as the National Organization for Women. Schwartz touted the organization’s considerable influence in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “CWA’s membership is very responsive. If the organization says, ‘Write to your House member,’ they will. Apart from AARP, CWA is the next-best in generating mail,” Schwartz claimed.
Schwartz went back to work for Coburn in 2004, serving as campaign manager during Coburn’s Oklahoma Senate run. He returned to his familiar post as Coburn’s chief of staff in the Senate.
The Issues
Schwartz is a veteran of the conservative movement who has worked on issues such as abortion, judicial appointments, gay marriage, stem cell research, AIDS, earmarks and assisted suicide. He stirred up controversy in 2005 when he said he favored “mass impeachment” of judges who overstep their authority on issues such as abortion. Coburn distanced himself from the statement, saying it didn’t represent his views.
Homosexuality
Schwartz made headlines in September 2009 when he addressed the Values Voters summit and said that pornography could urge young people to become homosexuals.
"Now, I may be getting politically incorrect here. And it’s been a few years, but not that many, since I was closely associated with pre-adolescent boys, boys around 10 years of age," Schwartz said. "But it is my observation that boys of that age have less tolerance for homosexuality than just about any other class of people. They speak badly about homosexuality. And that’s because they don’t want to be that way. They don’t want to fall into it.”
Schwartz then repeated what he called sage advice from a friend who runs a hospice for AIDs patients. That friend, according to Schwartz, said: ‘All pornography is homosexual pornography, because all pornography turns your sexual drive inwards.”
"Now, think about that,” Schwartz added. “And if you tell an 11-year-old boy about that, do you think he’s going to want to get a copy of Playboy? I’m pretty sure he’ll lose interest."
The Network
Schwartz is well-connected within the conservative community in Washington. Schwartz worked at the Free Congress Foundation with Weyrich and served as vice president for government relations at Beverly LaHaye’s Concerned Women for America. But he is probably closest to his boss: Coburn.
