With little fanfare, Tampa Bay area Democratic consultant Mitch Kates announced last month he was taking off to work on a campaign in Georgia — the country, not the Peachtree State.
Kates is working on trying to get billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili elected prime minister, a job currently held by a favorite of the West, Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili became known in the U.S. after the skirmish between his nation and Russia back in 2008 (you might recall the scene in the HBO film Game Change when Sarah Palin practices how to pronounce his name for her Katie Couric interview).
Kates, best known for his work with local Democrats like Kevin Beckner, Charlie Justice and Mary Mulhern, said he received an email in early February from a friend and former colleague of his, Craig Smith, asking for his resume, along with a suggestion that he make sure his passport was in good standing. A few weeks later, Kates was flying to Georgia to begin work on his first international campaign.
This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2012.