Bill Weld

Bill Weld is an attorney, author, and statesman whose career has encompassed federal prosecution, the Massachusetts governorship, and national political campaigns. A Harvard graduate, Weld began his legal career as counsel to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary before serving as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and later as United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. Early in his career, Weld joined the staff of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry into President Richard Nixon as a junior counsel, collaborating with fellow staffer Hillary Rodham to draft a memo defining grounds for impeachment.

As United States Attorney for Massachusetts, Weld secured 109 convictions in 111 prosecutions of public corruption and then served as Assistant U.S. Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division, contributing to criminal justice initiatives during the Reagan administration, including the capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega on drug trafficking charges.

Weld was elected governor of Massachusetts, defeating Democrat John Silber to become the first Republican to win the office in two decades. He was ranked the most fiscally conservative governor in the country by both The Wall Street Journal and the Cato Institute. When he was elected, Massachusetts faced a $1.3 billion deficit, unemployment was at 9.1 percent—2.3 percent above the national average—and the state had the second-highest state and local personal income taxes per capita in the nation. During his governorship, Weld cut taxes 21 times, led 16 international trade missions, oversaw six upgrades for the state's bond ratings, expanded abortion access, and broadened LGBTQ rights. He was reelected by the largest margin of victory in Massachusetts history. Weld approved the Massachusetts Education Reform Act, which doubled state funding for K-12 public education.

Weld was the Republican nominee for the United States Senate in Massachusetts, losing to Democratic incumbent John Kerry. The race was covered nationwide as one of the most closely watched Senate races, noted for the civility between the campaigns—Kerry and Weld negotiated a campaign spending cap and agreed to eight debates leading up to the election. Weld resigned as governor to focus on his nomination by President Bill Clinton to serve as United States Ambassador to Mexico; due to opposition by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, he was denied a hearing and withdrew his nomination. Weld is a supporter of free trade, having worked with Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich to help craft the North American Free Trade Agreement, and advocates for international coalitions as vital to a safer and more prosperous America.

Weld became involved in presidential politics in later years. He left the Republican Party to become the Libertarian Party running mate of former governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, and they received nearly 4.5 million votes—the most for a Libertarian ticket and the most for any third-party ticket since Ross Perot's Reform Party. Weld later announced a campaign against Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary, returning to his original party. He has positioned himself as a Republican who blends fiscal conservatism with social liberalism. Weld is an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations, served for five years as a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, and is an associate member of the InterAction Council, a group of former heads of state that convenes to consider and report on global issues.

Beyond politics, Weld is a published novelist. His first novel, "Mackerel by Moonlight," was followed by "Big Ugly," a book depicting the complexities of political life. He also published "Stillwater," a novel about the flooding of Massachusetts towns in the 1930s to make way for a reservoir. The New York Times has noted Weld's "writer's eye and ear." His experience in law, governance, bipartisan collaboration, and literature positions him as a voice on American governance, political independence, and civic values.