Talk:Jason Thielman

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

Hey all -- following up on MightyRanger's draftify (Feb 26) and SocDoneLeft's AfC decline (Mar 5). Both flagged insufficient secondary coverage, so I went back and did a much deeper source search across national media, Montana state media, and Montana broadcast affiliates. The results are much more extensive than what was in the draft at the time of those reviews.

I have updated the draft with additional citations and am resubmitting. Here is the full accounting of what I found.

National media -- tier 1 outlets that name or quote Thielman:

• New York Times (Nick Corasaniti, Apr 14, 2023) -- "Facing Tough Senate Race, Montana G.O.P. Looks to Change the Rules" -- Thielman named alongside Daines as an originator of the jungle primary bill strategy in Montana
• New York Times (Luke Broadwater, Oct 25, 2024) -- "Late Lawsuit Could Shape Political Ad Wars in Final Days of Campaign" -- Thielman named, submitted a legal affidavit on NRSC's behalf
• Washington Post (Goodwin, Ence Morse, Arnsdorf, Nov 1, 2024) -- "Insiders question Senate GOP group's focus on Montana, big spending" -- names Thielman multiple times, reports his salary, discusses NRSC decisions attributed to him
• Wall Street Journal (Dana Mattioli, May 1, 2025) -- "Coming Soon for CEOs, a MAGA-Infused Business Association" -- named as AGP co-founder
• NBC News (Dixon, Gomez, Allen, Haake, Nov 5, 2025) -- "Republicans look for lessons in election dominated by Democratic wins" -- directly quoted as political strategist
• Newsweek (Sept 2024) -- "Republican leader Jason Thielman warns of 'real problem' heading into election" -- he is the headline subject
• Newsweek (Oct 2024) -- "Republicans Spot Opportunity in Wisconsin" -- quoted from NRSC internal polling memo
• Fox News (2024) -- "GOP plots multimillion-dollar ad spend in swing states with Senate majority in sight" -- named announcing $100M+ ad buys
• Axios (Josh Kraushaar, Nov 20, 2022) -- "First look: NRSC's senior hires" -- named as NRSC executive director
• Axios (Jul 22, 2024) -- "Scoop: Senate GOP plots new attacks on Kamala Harris" -- quoted on NRSC strategy
• Axios (Sept 24, 2024) -- "Senate Republicans privately predict 52-seat majority" -- quoted at Sea Island donor retreat
• Axios (Sept 5, 2024) -- Montana polling piece -- quoted on Tester-Sheehy numbers
• Politico (Caitlin Oprysko, Feb 11, 2025) -- "NRSC strategists hang a shingle" -- named as S2R co-founder
• Politico (Mutnick and Perano, Nov 12, 2024) -- "Republicans won big in the Senate" -- NRSC context during his tenure
• The Hill (Oct 2024) -- "Senate majority at risk of falling out of reach for Democrats" -- quoted from donor memo
• Semafor (Sept 25, 2024) -- "Democrats fret as GOP super PACs pour money into Senate battle" -- quoted on GOP positioning
• Washington Examiner (Jul 2024) -- "Senate GOP casts Harris as 'San Francisco radical'" -- Thielman's NRSC memo covered
• Washington Examiner (Sept 2024) -- "Tester trails Sheehy by 8 points" -- Thielman quoted on Montana polling
• Roll Call (Kate Ackley, May 7, 2020) -- "Bullock attacks money in politics" -- directly quoted as "Daines aide Jason Thielman"
• Roll Call (Feb 2, 2023) -- "At the Races: Cash course" -- quoted as NRSC ED on Peter Meijer's bid
• Roll Call (Apr 4, 2016) -- "Montana Attorney General Thwarts Robbery of Daines Staffer" -- Thielman is the named subject
• O'Dwyer's PR News (Steve Barnes, Feb 12, 2025) -- S2R launch, named as partner
• Vice (2020) -- "This Democratic Governor's Coronavirus Response Could Determine Who Controls the Senate" -- directly quoted as Daines CoS on COVID
• American Action News (Nov 17, 2022) -- "Top Daines Aide Jason Thielman to Run NRSC for 2024 Cycle" -- named as NRSC executive director

Montana state media and broadcast affiliates:

• NBC Montana (nbcmontana.com, Sept 9, 2024) -- "Tight race for control of Congress could be decided by just a handful of campaigns" -- directly quoted as NRSC ED: "We are on track to flip the Senate"
• KULR8 / NBC affiliate, Billings (2024) -- "Daines campaign manager to select states receiving NRSC ad funding" -- named as NRSC ED controlling ad allocations
• KULR8 / NBC affiliate, Billings (Apr 14, 2025) -- "Senator Daines post Q1 fundraising numbers" -- directly quoted as Daines senior adviser
• KTVH / CBS affiliate, Helena (early 2025) -- "Montana's U.S. senators taking on new roles and big votes" -- named as "one of Daines' longtime top aides"
• Helena Independent Record (Jul 12, 2004) -- "Campaign chief has longtime bond with Brown" -- full biographical profile article with Thielman as sole subject
• Helena Independent Record (Apr 2025) -- "Daines gets Trump's endorsement" -- quoted as Daines senior adviser
• Helena Independent Record (2014) -- "Daines explains how he's pushed for more jobs since joining House" -- quoted as Daines campaign manager
• Billings Gazette (Dec 2012) -- "Daines names chief of staff, spokeswoman" -- named as CoS appointment
• Billings Gazette (2014) -- "Daines cites efforts to create jobs for Montana" -- directly quoted as Daines campaign manager
• Billings Gazette (Apr 2016) -- "Montana AG Tim Fox helps subdue man throwing punches after energy conference" -- Thielman is the named victim of assault
• Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Dec 2012) -- "Daines chooses staff" -- named as CoS for incoming Rep. Daines
• Flathead Beacon (Jun 5, 2019) -- "Cooperating Leaders" -- quoted on conservation policy
• Ravalli Republic (Dec 2012) -- "Daines names chief of staff, spokeswoman" -- named as CoS appointment
• Deseret News (Oct 10, 2002) -- "Montana GOP Candidate Quits Senate Race" -- quoted in official capacity as "Jason Thielman, chief deputy secretary of state"
• Great Falls Tribune (Feb 16, 2017) -- "Daines talks health care, DeVos vote, more in telephone town hall" -- Thielman quoted providing attendance figures

Government and official records:

• Montana Board of Regents meeting minutes (Jan 29, 1998, mus.edu) -- names him as "Regent Jason Thielman"
• Montana Board of Regents Past Members page (mus.edu) -- confirms service Jul 1997 - May 1998
• U.S. Senate disbursement report (GPO, 2022, p. B-962) -- confirms Daines office employment, lists Thielman as Chief of Staff
• Congressional Directory, 115th and 116th Congress (GovInfo) -- officially lists him as Daines Chief of Staff

So that's 40+ independent secondary sources. NYT twice, WaPo, WSJ, NBC News, Newsweek twice, Fox News, four Axios pieces, Politico twice, three Roll Calls, The Hill, Semafor, two Washington Examiners, Vice, O'Dwyer's, American Action News -- plus Montana broadcast affiliates (NBC Montana, KULR8, KTVH) and state papers (Helena IR, Billings Gazette, Bozeman Chronicle, Ravalli Republic, Flathead Beacon, Great Falls Tribune, Deseret News). Coverage goes back to 2002 -- over two decades.

He's directly quoted on the record in Roll Call (twice), NBC News, Billings Gazette, Flathead Beacon, NBC Montana, KULR8, and Vice. He's the headline subject in Newsweek. The Helena Independent Record ran a full biographical profile on him. And his NRSC strategy memos were independently obtained and reported on by multiple national outlets during the 2024 cycle.

I've added the sources that weren't there when MightyRanger and SocDoneLeft reviewed it. Take a look -- I think this clears WP:GNG pretty comfortably.

Apnewcombwei (talk) 01:58, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

Following the AfD nomination, the article has been revised in several respects:

• New sourcing added: Flathead Beacon (2019, public lands policy quote), Ripon Society symposium coverage (October 2024, eight named mentions), Roll Call (April 2016, named subject), and three Daily Montanan articles tracking the jungle that capacity by name.
• Prose restructured: Sections renamed from time-periods to role-based headings per WP:MOS/Biography. The NRSC section revised from a press-coverage list to an account of what Thielman directed during the cycle.

Total citations: 23 → 36. Apnewcombwei (talk) 20:05, 29 April 2026 (UTC)