President
coughlin@azhighground.com

Chuck Coughlin, President, founded HighGround, Inc. in January of 1996 after gaining experience in various public affairs/lobbying capacities in Arizona since 1985.

As the President of Highground, Inc., Coughlin has managed dozens of statewide and local elections (partial list attached), lobbied on behalf of numerous clients and played key roles in several public affairs campaigns. Prominent campaigns include: the development of a new stadium for the Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona Cardinals, the extension of Maricopa County’s ½ cent sales tax for transportation and the creation of the Maricopa Integrated Health Care District in Maricopa County.

Highground has won 15 national “Pollies” from the American Association of Political Consultants including 5 first place awards. In 2004, BizAZ magazine named Highground one of Arizona’s “Coolest Companies” and in 2006, Coughlin was honored by the Arizona Capitol Times “Best of” Edition as the “Person you would least want as a political opponent”.

Coughlin has worked on the campaign staff of then Congressman John McCain, and worked on the staff of former Governor Fife Symington, and former Attorney General Grant Woods and worked for three years with now Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb in his Arizona Agency: Nelson, Ralston, Robb.

Coughlin managed the Governor Symington’s 1994 re-election campaign. The Governor won re-election with over 54% of the popular vote despite being down by a 28-point margin six weeks prior to Election Day.

Coughlin's extensive background and keen sense of Arizona's political pulse has resulted in many important campaign and public affairs victories.