Political consultant Kellyanne Conway has worked on Republican political campaigns for decades, but she rose to national infamy as the senior counselor to former President Donald Trump.
For years, Conway defended the former President's erratic tweets and questionable policy decisions, often using "alternative facts"—a phrase she coined—to do so.
Now, Conway is joining the Senate campaign for Ohio's Bernie Moreno—a luxury car salesman who, like many Republicans in campaigns around the nation, is working to present himself as the most Trumpian candidate on the ballot.
Moreno said he was proud to have Conway's "support and talent" in her capacity as a senior advisor on the 2022 campaign.
Today our campaign named @KellyannePolls as Senior Advisor. We are proud to have her support and talent on our team… https://t.co/c2qyHThr1Z— Bernie Moreno (@Bernie Moreno) 1618520742.0
Conway has hailed Moreno as "a successful businessman just like President Donald J. Trump," but though Moreno now presents himself as a pro-Trump candidate, he called the former President a "maniac" and a "lunatic" in emails during the 2016 campaign, according to HuffPost.
In their past criticisms of Trump, he and Conway have something in common.
Before Trump clenched the Republican presidential nomination in an upset second only to his general election victory, Conway worked for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) on his presidential campaign.
During that tenure, Conway frequently slammed Trump, accusing him of building his businesses "on the backs of the little guy."
It's unclear how Conway's appointment will affect the momentum of Moreno's campaign, but her reentry to the political sphere wasn't welcomed by many.
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls Smart move hiring the campaign manager that didn’t go to prison yet.— CLEVELAND JACKSON (@CLEVELAND JACKSON) 1618533122.0
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls Enjoy building your house on a pile of lies.— everything happens for a riesling (@everything happens for a riesling) 1618544830.0
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls She is one of the best liars out there, so there's that.— Candie-O (@Candie-O) 1618591490.0
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls Thanks for tweeting that, like nearly all Republicans, you have no ethics. Or taste.— Bread & Circuses 🍞🎪 (@Bread & Circuses 🍞🎪) 1618533213.0
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls @berniemoreno your judgment here is suspect. An indicator of future misjudgment?— stevechase (@stevechase) 1618691011.0
Some speculated that Conway's appointment would lead to the end of Moreno's campaign.
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls Well that just effectively ended your campaign— Mike(d in Mentor) (@Mike(d in Mentor)) 1618602214.0
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls Destined for failure!— 🅴🆁🅸🅲 (@🅴🆁🅸🅲) 1618568301.0
@berniemoreno @KellyannePolls Well, that's a surefire way to lose 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️— CeCe (@CeCe) 1618582217.0
But while Conway's lies have earned her an unignorable number of critics, her ability to help deliver upset wins—for better or for worse—is already proven.