Rodney Salinas Named Rising Star of Politics" By Campaigns & Elections Magazine

Rodney Jay C. Salinas, president of the Rainmaker Political Group LLC and publisher of PoliticalCircus.com, has been selected as one of the Rising Stars of Politics 2002" by Campaigns & Elections magazine and will be featured in the April 2002 issue.

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA -- Rodney Jay C. Salinas, president of the Rainmaker Political Group LLC and publisher of PoliticalCircus.com, has been selected as one of the Rising Stars of Politics 2002" by Campaigns & Elections magazine and will be featured in the April 2002 issue.

Salinas joins a distinguished list of political movers and shakers who have received this recognition over the years, including James Carville, George Stephanopolous, Mary Matalin and Mike McCurry. He is one of the first Asian Pacific Americans to receive this honor.

This honor demonstrates the growing influence of the Asian Pacific American community in all aspects of political management -- campaigns, new media, public policy, advocacy, and elections," said Salinas. As important as it is for Asian Pacific Americans to be running for public office, its equally important for them to be in the ranks and behind the scenes."

A special reception will be held Friday, April 5, 2002, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, at the Washington Marriott Hotel, 1221 22nd Street, NW. The reception kicks off Campaigns & Elections magazines Annual Campaign Training Seminar and Trade Show.

In 2001, Salinas created PoliticalCircus.com (http://www.politicalcircus.com), an innovative online magazine that encourages Asian Pacific American political participation. The website has quickly grown to over 1,800 email subscribers and has been featured in Yahoo! Internet Life magazine and cited approvingly by Asian Week. His email newsletter is considered essential reading for political professionals of all backgrounds who are interested in Asian Pacific American issues.

Rodney is an inspiration to any young person aspiring to help the community through political involvement," added Paul Tiao, co-founder and executive director of the Asian American Action Fund, a non-partisan political action committee located in Washington. His success is also a signal that a new generation of Asian Pacific Americans has arrived in the arena of political management."

As the former executive director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), Salinas is also a political commentator for several newspapers and radio programs, including Pacific Time on KQED Radio and Manila Bulletin USA. A member of the American Association of Political Consultants, Salinas is a frequent lecturer on Asian American political issues. He is also currently serving a three-year term as a member of the Human Rights Commission in Alexandria, VA.

Salinas earned his masters degree from the Graduate School of Political Management while on a full scholarship as a Presidential Administrative Fellow at The George Washington University in Washington, DC.