Raghu Devaguptapu
Partner
Left Hook Strategy
About Raghu Devaguptapu
Sick of sleeping in a van while touring with his band during college, Raghu settled in for a more stable professional life: A Democratic political operative.
While it was a step in the right direction in the eyes of his traditional Indian parents, it also seemed like a natural move. In India, Raghu’s family history is woven in the Indian independence movement. His Great Grandfather was the first Governor of the southern state of Madras after Indian Independence.
While his parents gave up their dream of a physician in the family, they knew someone was bound to have the political and social justice blood flowing in their veins.
Raghu has over twenty years of campaign experience and heads our Washington, DC office. A seasoned strategist known for his collaborative style, affable manner, and hands-on approach, Raghu was named to Politico Playbook’s Washington DC Power List as the “Go To Media Consultant” for highest-profile campaigns.
In 2020, Raghu played a critical role in helping Democrats take back control of the U.S. Senate, including working on Mark Kelly’s successful race in Arizona and running a critical GOTV independent expenditure in the Georgia run-offs. In the prior cycle, Raghu led the IE effort to help elect Gov. Tim Walz in Minnesota in 2018.
Raghu was the first Asian American to be named Political Director of a national party committee – first at the DLCC and then at the DGA. While at the DLCC, he helped flip 30 chambers into Democratic control – the largest partisan Democratic shift in our nation’s history.
Raghu also managed the independent expenditure and issue advocacy program for AFSCME, overseeing one of the largest programs in Democratic politics spending over $60 million dollars up and down the ballot working on races across the country.
A die-hard Green Bay Packer fan, Raghu lives in Washington DC with his wife Reema and their two daughters.