Mark Harris

ABOUT
Mark is a nationally recognized expert in strategic communications and issue management. Advising clients at all levels from U.S. Presidential campaigns to Fortune 500 corporations, Mark is a founding partner of ColdSpark.
Mark lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Krista, and their three kids, Abigail, Davin, and Clare.

Mark grew up in Pittsburgh, where he developed a strong passion for long shots including the Pittsburgh Pirates and Allegheny County Republican Party. At the age of 21, Mark defeated a ten-year incumbent in a Republican primary for state house before losing in the anti-Republican wave year of 2006.
Discovering that he liked to be behind the scenes and not in front of them, Mark went on to work for political campaigns and non-profits in Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. After honing his skills in the field, Mark ran Pat Toomey’s 2010 U.S. Senate race. Defying the odds, Toomey went on to defeat Joe Sestak and flip the seat back to the GOP.
After the Toomey campaign, Mark co-founded ColdSpark with Mike DeVanney. ColdSpark has now grown to a team of nineteen talented professionals who have worked in 39 different states.
In the 2016 cycle, Mark served as a strategist for Senator Marco Rubio’s Presidential SuperPAC as well as General Consultant for Pat Toomey’s 2016 successful re-election campaign which was at that point the most expensive U.S. Senate race in history.
Throughout the years, the public affairs, crisis communications, and issue management practices at ColdSpark has grown to work with many Fortune 500 companies. Mark has led efforts in the financial services, energy, healthcare, and education sectors.
In the 2018 cycle, Mark served as lead strategist for Governor Bruce Rauner’s re-election campaign that became the most expensive Gubernatorial race of the cycle. Mark and the ColdSpark team also elected three new members to Congress in one of the worst years for the Republican Party in modern history.
- Worked in 32 different states
- Managed over $250 million in budgets
- Over 200+ Campaigns
- Most expensive Gubernatorial race 2018 cycle
- Most expensive Senate race 2018 cycle
- AAPC - 40 under 40
- Campaigns and Elections - Rising Star
- AAPC - Pollie Award Winner
- Campaigns and Elections - Reed Award Winner
THINGS I DO OUTSIDE WORK
LONG SUFFERING PITTSBURGH PIRATES FAN
MODEL RAILROAD ENTHUSIAST
ARM CHAIR CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
BEING REALLY BAD AT GOLFING
MARK'S WRITING ON FAITH
MAY 21, 2019
SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
NOVEMBER 14, 2017
So just finished @TedLasso and I feel like I need to pick an EPL team to root for lol. Also read this review it does a far better job than I can of discussing why I loved this show. https://www.theringer.com/tv/2020/12/16/22176285/ted-lasso-defied-the-odds-and-wrangled-our-hearts
More like: “China was aware the new admin would do nothing to stop its efforts to expand its sphere of influence and consolidation of power because of a long ‘profitable’ relationship with the Bidens.” https://twitter.com/ap/status/1353673670602973189
It didn’t take long for relations with China to become an issue for new U.S. President Joe Biden. A show of force by the Chinese air force off Taiwan last weekend prompted a U.S. response even as the Biden administration focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic. http://apne.ws/uN5Ri0N
PAST AND PRESENT CLIENTS
-
2020
ColdSpark hits new milestone of nineteen team members across two offices
-
2018
Mark serves as lead strategist for Gov Bruce Rauner
-
2018
Mark helps Rep. Guy Reschenthaler come back from a 70 point deficit to win a tough Republican primary
-
2018
Mark helps elect Rep. Russ Fulcher to the U.S. Congress
-
2018
Clare Rosalie Harris born
-
2016
Mark serves as general consultant for Sen Pat Toomey’s successful re-election
-
2015
Mark serves as a strategist and lead delegate counting magician to Sen Marco Rubio’s Presidential Super PAC
-
2015
Davin Michal Harris born
-
2015
Abigail Rachel Harris born
-
2011
ColdSpark founded
-
2011
Mark manages Sen Pat Toomey’s first campaign for US Senate