Murkowski Campaign Brings Back Dillon

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This afternoon the reelection campaign of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski made official a key staff change we hinted at in our Friday in the Sun column. The campaign has brought onboard long-time Murkowski congressional staffer Robert Dillon to serve as Communications Director.

Dillon left his position as the spokesman for Sen. Murkowski’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee in January to become a Senior Vice-President of public relations, political consulting, and lobbying firm Strategies 360.

According to his Strategies 360 hiring announcement Dillion served in a wide variety of roles in public policy and journalism prior to working for Murkowski:

“Prior to his tenure in the Senate, Dillon provided analysis of U.S. energy and regulatory policy for the Energy Intelligence Group. Dillon has worked as a reporter and photojournalist in the U.S. Arctic, China, and Europe. He previously worked at The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Alaska Newspapers Inc, The Anchorage Times, The Prague Post, Central European Business Weekly and China Daily. “

Now, Dillon will be returning to both Alaska and Murkowski. Here is the Murkowski campaign’s official statement on the hiring:

Murkowski Campaign Announces Communications Director
Campaign Volunteer Outreach Adds Five Interns

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Today Senator Lisa Murkowski expanded her campaign’s communications team with the addition of long-time staffer Robert Dillon as communications director. In addition to Dillon joining her team of senior staff, the Murkowski campaign took on five statewide full-time interns.

Robert Dillon served as communications director for Murkowski on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee from the end of 2008 to January 2016.

“I’m happy to have Dillon join our campaign. He has been a longtime member of our team and is always willing to roll up his sleeves and get the job done,” Murkowski said. “He has a deep understanding of the work I’ve been doing to modernize our national energy policies and to help reduce the cost of energy here in Alaska. His arrival will make our robust team that much stronger.”

Dillon moved to Kenai in 1976. He has spent time in many communities in the state, including living above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, where he was introduced to the sport of dog mushing. Prior to working in the Senate, Dillon had a long career as a reporter and photojournalist, including working for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Arctic Sounder, Tundra Drums, KOTZ Broadcasting and The Anchorage Times. He majored in journalism and Alaska Native studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Dillon and his wife, Eva, have a 6-year-old daughter, Anna.

The Murkowski campaign also welcomed five statewide full-time interns this week: Claudia Wong and Tyler Wright of Anchorage; Connor Leaf, Jackson Blackwell and Selia Butler of Kenai. The interns will be heavily involved with the campaign’s volunteer outreach program, and get out the vote initiatives statewide.

“Bringing on young Alaskan leaders as interns fulfills a major objective of this campaign,” said Campaign Manager, Steve Wackowski. “These young people are the future of our party and our state. We want to recruit as many Alaskans as possible to engage in the political process.”

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