Ralph Eugene Reed Jr. (born June 24, 1961) is an American political consultant and lobbyist, best known as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition during the early 1990s.

He moved with his family to Toccoa, Georgia, in 1976, earning Eagle Scout at BSA Troop 77[5] and graduating from Stephens County High School in 1979.

Norquist later served as president of Americans for Tax Reform, in Washington, D.C.[citation needed] Reed has said that, in September 1983, he had a religious experience while at Bullfeathers, an upscale pub in Capitol Hill popular with staffers (and, to a lesser extent, members) of the House of Representatives.

[13] After receiving his AB he moved to Raleigh, North Carolina to help start and lead Students for America (SFA), a conservative activist group supported by U.S.

SFA became largely dominated by members of Maranatha Campus Ministries, and this brought Reed into contact with Ed Buckham and Jim Backlin, the current Legislative Director of the Christian Coalition.

[citation needed] Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Congressional caucuses Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Reed was hired by religious broadcaster and Presidential candidate Pat Robertson as executive director of the Christian Coalition in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

[15] Some alleged that another factor in Reed's decision was an investigation by federal prosecutors due to charges made by the Christian Coalition's former chief financial officer, Judy Liebert.

Eschewing confrontational tactics of street protest learned in college, Reed attempted to project a "softer" public face for Christian conservatism, self-described as "guerrilla", putting "enemies" in "body bags" before they even realized he had struck.

After a three-year investigation and lawsuit, a federal court ordered the Coalition to pay a small fine for two minor infractions, significantly less than the FEC had called for.

[19] On resigning as executive director of the Christian Coalition, Reed moved to the Atlanta, Georgia, suburb of Duluth to begin a career as a political consultant and lobbyist.

[citation needed] In late 1997, Reed joined the campaign of Fulton County Commission Chairman Mitch Skandalakis for lieutenant governor of Georgia, becoming its general consultant.

In addition to planning campaign strategy, Reed appeared in advertisements, identifying himself as the former head of the Christian Coalition and vouching for Skandalakis's conservative credentials and personal integrity.

[citation needed] In the primary, Skandalakis placed first among the five Republican candidates, but did not receive a majority of the vote and was forced into a run-off with second-place finisher State Senator Clint Day.

The Skandalakis campaign held a conference at which tribal leaders, wearing headdress and other ceremonial clothing, attacked Day as a "vandal" and "grave robber.

The conservative Alabama group Obligation, Inc. is a fierce critic of Reed's client Channel One News, arguing that the company pumps classrooms full of "commercials for junk food and sleazy movies.

"[citation needed] In 1999, Reed's firm sent out a mailer to Alabama conservative Christians asking them to call then-Representative Bob Riley and tell him to vote against legislation that would have made the Northern Mariana Islands subject to federal wage and worker safety laws.

[citation needed] Reed's principal opponent was David Shafer, a former executive director of the Georgia Republican Party recruited to the race by Congressman John Linder.

[23] Documents released by federal investigators in 2005 show that Reed's 2001 campaign for State Chairman was partially financed with contributions from the Choctaws, an Indian gaming tribe represented by Abramoff.

[citation needed] Reed claimed support of the White House, access to the Bush fundraising apparatus and command of a large grass roots organization.

[citation needed] Reed's campaign experienced a loss of momentum with revelations about his role in the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal.

[26][27] 21 state senators signed a letter in February 2006 calling on Reed to withdraw from the race, "declaring that his ties to Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff could jeopardize the re-election of Gov.

Sonny Perdue and the rest of the GOP ticket.” Reed rejected the petition as a useless stunt, and expressed confidence that his record and ideas would prevail.

[28] Aides to Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson, ostensibly neutral in the race, released a poll that showed Reed's mounting negatives could hurt Perdue and the Republican ticket.

On March 21, 2006, political consultant Matt Towery of Insider Advantage released a poll showing Reed represented an eight-point drag on the Perdue ticket.

[30] Reed was named, but never charged with any wrongdoing, in the scandal arising from lobbying work Jack Abramoff performed on behalf of Indian gambling tribes.

[citation needed] Those emails and other evidence revealed the participation of the Christian Coalition in the alleged fraud, particularly its Alabama chapter, which received large amounts of donations from the casino money.