Chris Russell
Co-Founder
Checkmate Strategies
About Chris Russell
Since first launching his own business in 2009, Chris has worked as a Republican strategist and direct mail consultant with a track record of taking on and winning tough races in the challenging political terrain of the Northeast.
Along the way, Chris co-founded Checkmate Strategies in 2018 and expanded to work on behalf of Republican candidates and groups nationally, as well as in public affairs and communications.
Chris served as the top advisor to former NJ GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli. He also served in the same role for Congressman Mike Lawler’s historic defeat of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman in 2022 and helped Lawler hold the seat in 2024, as one of only three “Harris District” Republicans in America.
As an award-winning direct mail consultant, Chris and his firm have won over 40 Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) and Reed Awards from Campaigns & Elections Magazine for his creative work.
A 1995 graduate of Temple University, Chris currently serves as a Member of the Political Science Alumni Advisory Board and as a Member of the Owl Club Board of Directors at his alma mater. Chris is also sought after as a political analyst for news media in the tri-state area and beyond.
A lover of the outdoors, Chris lives with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Emma and Alyssa, their dog Reeses and bunny Bean. Together, they founded the Caitlin Elizabeth Russell Foundation in 2006 in honor of their firstborn daughter, who passed away from complications of premature birth at the age of 4 months. Since its inception, Caitlin’s Foundation has raised more than a half-million dollars to help premature babies and their families in New Jersey.