The rapidly changing campaign finance laws are already the dominant theme of 2012's "most-expensive-yet" election. DB Capitol Strategies is pleased to have Stephen Hoersting, an innovator at the cutting edge of campaign finance law, join our firm.  Steve brings tremendous experience advising campaigns and advancing free-speech for political organizations to our team.

Steve co-founded the Center for Competitive Politics (2005 to 2011) where he devised speech-protective projects, including co-counsel on SpeechNow.org v. FEC and Carey v FEC. Steve served as general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee under then-chairman Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) from 2003 to 2005, where he advised 51 Senate offices and 34 campaigns in the first election under McCain-Feingold to help win seven of eight open seat races for U.S. Senator.

Steve also served as chief counsel to a vice chairman of the Federal Election Commission from 2000 to 2003, was a pre-publication commenter on John Samples' The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform, University of Chicago Press (2006) and a commentator and research assistant for Bradley A. Smith's Unfree Speech, Princeton Univ. Press (2001). He has published on campaign finance issues for the Cato Institute, the Election Law Journal, The Washington Times, Roll Call, The Weekly Standard and National Review Online; appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, CNBC's Street Signs and offered expert testimony on Capitol Hill.

Steve earned his J.D. from Capital University Law School, cum laude, in 1996, and a B.A. in economics from The Ohio State University in 1990. He is an alumnus of the Institute for Humane Studies and served as The Federalist Society's Publications Chairman for its Free Speech and Election Law Practice Group.