How a millennial from Philly became a top Clinton fund-raiser

Millennials are described as being all "meh" about politics generally, and polls show that Hillary Clinton, in particular, after a quarter century on the national scene, has struggled to excite many young voters.

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Don't tell that to Philadelphia's Dan Kessler, 26, a rising politico who admires Clinton and is believed to be the youngest "Hillblazer" in the country. To earn that honorific, a person must raise at least $100,000 for Clinton's presidential campaign and associated political action committees.

Kessler has doubled the goal.

"The stuff I do for Hillary doesn't help me in my job - I do it because I love it, and it's my passion," Kessler said. "She's the most qualified person to ever run for president and will do whatever she can to fight to make Americans' lives better."

An investment associate with the Brandywine Realty Trust, Kessler is, by nature, an exhaustive networker, national vice president of the Young Democrats, and a leader in an array of millennial political and policy organizations, both partisan and bipartisan. He likes to hold court at Rouge on Rittenhouse Square, where he can see and be seen by friends from his various worlds.

Kessler is the son of Alan Kessler, a Duane Morris lawyer who has long been a Democratic fund-raising powerhouse, working to help former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore in 2000, both of Hillary Clinton's campaigns, and former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

The younger Kessler said he wasn't pushed into politics; it was all around him and he just took to it. A longtime fan of the former first lady and secretary of state, Dan Kessler started his adventure in November 2013, when his father took him to New York for a day of meetings of Ready for Hillary, a PAC encouraging Clinton to run for president.

"I stood up a number of times, and asked, 'What's your plan to engage millennials?' " he said. "They didn't have an answer." So he started gathering names - childhood and college friends, fellow former White House interns, business associates, and the like - and got to work.

After Clinton announced her candidacy in April 2015, Dan Kessler organized a fund-raiser at the G Lounge at 17th and Chestnut Streets aimed at millennials (defined by demographers as people between the ages of 18 and 35). Tickets started at $20.16, and the event drew 300 people.

"That was the prototype, and I got bites from all over the country," he said. Small-dollar events aimed at young professionals followed in Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, Seattle, Atlanta, and Arlington, Va.

The schedule got crazy for Kessler during the Democratic National Convention in July in Philadelphia. He briefed foreign reporters on millennial issues as part of a State Department program, attended seminars with the Truman National Security Project, and organized events as a board member of a bipartisan group dedicated to finding common ground on ending government gridlock.

For one of the group's events, Kessler coaxed Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Pat Toomey, a Republican, to announce they would collaborate on developing legislation to address student loan debt.

"Dan is a force of nature," said Steven Olikara, cofounder and president of the Washington-based group, which is called the Millennial Action Project.

Next Tuesday, Kessler turns to fund-raising again with an event he helped organize - "Chefs for Hillary" - at R2L on the 37th floor of Two Liberty Place. It will feature a tasting menu prepared by 11 top city chefs and a chat with Amanda Renteria, the national political director of the Clinton campaign.

Proceeds from the event, with tickets ranging from $125 to $2,700, will go to the joint fund-raising committee raising cash for Clinton and other Democrats running Nov. 8.

"What Dan's done is nothing short of amazing," said childhood friend Curtis Blessing, a senior associate with Ceisler Media who has been a strategist on several citywide and state legislative campaigns.

Kessler taps deep personal connections to raise money for a candidate potential donors may never meet, Blessing said. "It's not an easy 'ask.' "

"It's like they give because they believe in Dan," he said. "Dan's an eternal optimist. He's a true believer."

tfitzgerald@phillynews.com

215-854-2718 @tomfitzgerald

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