Arthur Finkelstein, GOP Campaign Guru, Dies At 72

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By Dave Goldiner August 20, 2017

Arthur Finkelstein, a conservative campaign strategist who helped elect Republican presidents and Israeli premiers has died, his family announced Saturday. He was 72.

Finkelstein was perhaps best known as the brains behind the unlikely elections of Sen. Al D’Amato and Gov. George Pataki.

But he also helped Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and even Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) win.

Early in his polling career, Finkelstein signed onto Nixon’s 1972 campaign at just 26.

Finkelstein later helped run Reagan’s unsuccessful 1976 primary campaign against Gerald Ford, and his winning race four years later.

Finkelstein also worked for conservatives Benjamin Netanyahu and Ariel Sharon in Israel.

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner