Ethan Rome

About Ethan Rome

Ethan Rome is a social justice strategist and campaign leader with more than 35 years of experience running large-scale state and federal legislative, political, and union organizing campaigns. Rome is the chief of strategy and program at Issue One (IO), the leading cross-partisan democracy group in Washington, DC. At IO Rome leads strategy and oversees the legislative, communications, and research departments, as well as cross-cutting initiatives such as the $15 million Count Every Vote campaign in 2020 and current efforts to strengthen U.S. elections and hold social media platforms accountable. Rome and his team helped lead the efforts to establish a 9/11-style commission to investigate the attack on the U.S. Capitol, which led to the creation of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol and update the Electoral Count Act to ensure a peaceful transition of presidential power. Rome is the former executive director of Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the national grassroots coalition that ran a $60 million five-year effort to pass, protect, and promote the Affordable Care Act. Prior to HCAN, Rome directed national communications for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the largest labor unions in America. Before coming to Washington, DC, Rome served as policy and communications director to Connecticut Speaker of the House Tom Ritter, built one of the first comprehensive political operations for a state legislative caucus in the country, and co-directed a campaign to enact a new state income tax that is now responsible for 50% of the state’s revenue. He began his career as an organizer and then the legislative and political director for the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, a grassroots economic justice organization founded in 1970. Rome has managed or been the lead consultant on more than 100 political campaigns, from city council and state legislative to congressional and gubernatorial races, with a focus on helping women and communities of color build political power.

Experience

1. Chief of Strategy and Program

   Issue One

   Jul 2018 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   Develop strategy and lead the campaigns and programs of the top cross-partisan democracy group in Washington, DC. Lead a team of senior campaigners to protect U.S. elections, hold Big Tech accountable, and reduce the harms of social media. Led the $15 million Count Every Vote campaign to defend the 2020 election. Co-led the effort to create the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol and update the Electoral Count Act to ensure a peaceful transition of presidential power.

Education

• Wesleyan University

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)