Draft:David Roberts (political advisor)

David Roberts
Director of Development and External Relations at the Oklahoma Democratic Party
Preceded by	Ryan Starkweather
Personal details
Born	(1985-07-19) July 19, 1985 Poteau, Oklahoma
Political party	Democratic
Education	Northeastern State University (BS) University of Oklahoma (Graduate Studies)

David Don Roberts (born 1985) is an American author, political advisor, and historian from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He began his service in politics at the age of 9, through association with a once-considered-legendary Oklahoma state senator Gene Stipe. Roberts wrote Political Campaign Playbook, described as a How-To guide for successfully running for public office. In 2003, while finishing high school, Roberts was elected as the National President of Business Professionals of America, a Career and Technical Student Organization. Roberts began to gain notoriety as a political operative serving on high profile political campaigns including U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, U.S. Congressman Mark Critz, and then-United States Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for President of the United States, the committee Obama for America. Roberts became less active in politics following his grandmother’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, which prompted his return to Oklahoma where he served as her caregiver and was persuaded to assist with the campaign of state Senator Constance Johnson, in her bid for the United States Senate.

Early life

Born in Poteau, Oklahoma, in 1985, Roberts spent his childhood being raised in rural McCurtain, Oklahoma located in Haskell County, Oklahoma. He graduated from McCurtain High School in McCurtain, Oklahoma and attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma where he studied political science and history. Roberts was appointed by the government of the Town of McCurtain to serve as the Grant and Public Resource Administrator, acquiring more than $1.5 million in state and federal funding while serving in that capacity. As a result of Roberts’ commitment to serving his community, his hometown, the rural town of McCurtain, Oklahoma would go on to be honored by the state of Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) with the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Clean Community Award.

Political Activities

Roberts has worked on a number of political campaigns including Oklahoma congressional and gubernatorial campaigns. In 2008 Roberts served as staff for both the primary and general election campaigns of Barack Obama. He also worked for former Arkansas U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln’s 2010 elections, Chief Bill John Baker’s campaign for Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and the 2012 Wisconsin recall of Gov. Scott Walker. Roberts worked with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee or DCCC, serving in the capacity of Field Director for Congressman Mark Critz (PA-12). He served as a senior advisor and political director of Oklahoma State Senator Connie Johnson in her bid against U.S. Senator James Lankford’s run for the seat he currently occupies. In addition to electoral work, Roberts has also worked on state questions and legislative issues. Roberts lobbied for passage of Arkansas’ Main Street Fairness Act which Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe signed into law in 2011. He was hired by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to manage the Oklahoma portion of their 'Fast for Families' campaign for immigration policy reform. Roberts lost his grandmother to Alzheimer's Disease in 2016 and currently serves as an advocacy ambassador for the Alzheimer's Association.

During the summer of 2022, Roberts formally accepted a position with the Oklahoma Democratic Party as the Director of Development and External Relations. During his year of service in this role Roberts would successfully revitalize a fledging and insignificant digital subscription and fundraising platform by increasing both subscribers and online donors by over 180%. Much of his time with the Oklahoma Democratic Party that wasn’t focused upon raising funds, would focus towards training activists, candidates or promoting a strong message that upheld the policies and ideals of the Democratic Party.