Angela McGlowan

1970(?)—

Political analyst, television personality

A beauty queen from small town Mississippi, Angela McGlowan has used both wit and grit to become a respected player in national politics. She has served as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill, worked as a political analyst for Fox News, hosted her own public affairs television show in New York City, counseled Fortune 500 companies on government affairs, diversity, and strategy, and founded a Washington, D.C., political consultancy firm. Along the way, she has become one of the rising stars in the Republican Party. A diehard member of the GOP, McGlowan has made it her mission to bring minorities to the Republican fold, particularly through exposing what she calls in her book Bamboozled the "liberal lies" that have long kept minorities and women down. Her controversial views are mediated by her lifelong commitment to helping others. Inspired by her father's example, who she told the Washington Times "brought pride and self-worth to people," McGlowan made helping others a high priority. "No matter how successful I am—especially as a woman and a person of color," she said she felt compelled to "reach back and help others."

Opened Political Doors with a Beauty Queen's Crown

Angela McGlowan was born in Oxford, Mississippi, and raised in a tight knit community where old-fashioned, neighborly values were the norm. "My parents always taught me to help somebody," she told the Ole Miss Rebel Insider. Her father, James Thomas McGlowan, a Methodist minister, was especially influential. A civil rights worker and community activist, he "helped build a bridge between the black community and the white community," McGlowan recalled to the Washington Times. The elder McGlowan had aspirations for political office but racial inequality kept him from pursuing that dream. Though he died when McGlowan was just 12, his impact on her belief in political activism was profound. "As a kid, I would go around and hand out political fliers," she recalled to the Washington Post.

Just as prominent as her early political impulses was McGlowan's striking beauty. She began participating in local beauty contests as a teen and eventually won the title of Miss Magnolia, a precursor to the Miss Mississippi crown. While attending the University of Mississippi, she participated on the school's dance team, The Rebelette's, and won listing as one of Ole Miss's Top Ten Beauties. Yet, after graduating with a degree in public administration in 1993, she was determined to leave her beauty queen title behind and make her mark in politics. Her mother wanted her to continue on to law school, but McGlowan had bigger ideas. "So, upon graduation from college, I made a deal with my mom: ‘Let me go to D.C., and, after a year, I'll come back, go to Ole Miss and become a lawyer,’" she told the Washington Post.

Determined to jumpstart her career in political advocacy, McGlowan began knocking on doors all over Capitol Hill. She was shocked when no one answered. "Little did I know about networking in D.C.," she told the Washington Post. Feeling frustrated, McGlowan reluctantly turned to her beauty pageant past. She recalled to the Washington Post, "A girlfriend of mine said, ‘Angela, you're beautiful, you're brilliant; you should go for Miss District of Columbia. It's about access in this town; it's about who you know.’ I said, ‘I'm smart. I don't need to be in a beauty pageant.’ But I learned the hard way." McGlowan entered the contest and won. Though she lost her bid for the Miss USA 1994 pageant, the D.C. crown gave McGlowan what she really wanted—access. As Miss D.C., she attended numerous functions with high-powered political players. With the same confidence she once used to knock on closed doors, she approached politicians, lobbyists, and chiefs of staff whenever she could, promoting both herself and her causes—inner-city poverty, poor education, and fatherless children. "I turned my celebrity into access to make a difference," she told Online Athens.

Rose to Public Prominence as Republican Pundit

When McGlowan began her reign as Miss D.C., she held decidedly left-leaning political beliefs. "I was a volunteer for the [1992] Clinton-Gore campaign and my mother's still a Democrat," she told the Washington Times. However, as she made her way through the ranks of D.C.'s power brokers, she had a political epiphany. She determined that liberal politics, and in particular the Democratic Party, did not support the interests of minorities nor the poor. "Liberals always say that they are representing the little guy, but if the little guy makes it, then who will the liberals represent? So they have to keep us down, so they can stay up, and we have allowed it," she told the Washington Times. She further refined this view as she worked for a succession of Republican politicians. In 1995, she joined Bob Dole's Better America Foundation as Outreach Director. The next year, she served as a legislative aide for two Republican congressmen, working on issues of diversity, welfare reform, tax policy, and healthcare.

In the mid-1990s, McGlowan moved to corporate representation, first as manager of legislative affairs and policy research for the American Trucking Association and later as public affairs assistant for Mirage Resorts. In 1999, she joined the News Corporation, parent company to Fox Broadcasting, as director of government affairs and diversity development. She left in 2005 to found her own political consultancy, Political Strategies & Insights. Meanwhile, due to a combination of her commitment to the Republican cause, her infectious positivity, and her camera-ready good looks, McGlowan was increasingly called upon to make public appearances. This led to Fox News hiring her as an on-air political analyst. In 2005, she became the host of Good Day Street Talk, a New York City public affairs program on the local Fox affiliate. She also began to make the rounds of the political talk show circuit, appearing as a right wing pundit on PBS' To the Contrary, BET's Tonight, and ABC's Politically Incorrect.

At a Glance …

Born in 1970(?), in Oxford, MS; married: John Venners, 2006. Education: University of Mississippi, BA, public administration, 1993.

Career: Better America Foundation, Washington, D.C., director of outreach, 1995; Congressman John Ensign, 1st District of Nevada, Washington, D.C., legislative aide, 1996; Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, 6th District of Maryland, Washington, D.C., staff assistant, 1996; Mirage Resorts, Inc., Washington, D.C., public affairs assistant, mid-1990s; American Trucking Association, Washington, D.C., manager of legislative affairs and policy research enhancement, mid-1990s; FOX News Channel, New York, NY, political analyst, 1999-; News Corporation, New York, NY, director of government affairs and diversity development, 1999-2005; Good Day Street Talk, New York, NY, host, 2005-06; Political Strategies and Insights, Washington, D.C., president and CEO, 2006-.

Memberships: Independent Women's Forum, member; Mississippi Society, member.

Awards: Crowned Miss Magnolia and Miss Mississippi; Miss District of Columbia, USA, 1994; Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, Journalism Award, 2005; Black Republican, Pioneer of the Year, 2007.

Addresses: Office—Political Strategies & Insights, 2300 Clarendon Blvd Suite 401, Arlington VA, 22201. Web—www.politicalstrategies.net.

With her public profile flying high, McGlowan became more vocal about her political ideals, publishing Bamboozled: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda in 2007. She based the book in large part on interviews with political and public figures, both conservative and liberal. She told the Washington Times, that she began each interview with the question, "Which policy prescriptions have created a better America for women and people of color, Democrat or Republican?" She concluded that the Democratic Party was greatly responsible for maintaining minority inequality and oppression. The book's controversial statements garnered McGlowan a slew of press coverage and put the book on bestseller lists. Despite this success, McGlowan had bigger aspirations. "One day, I hope to be an elected official in Congress with my father's last name," she told the Washington Post. Considering how far this beauty queen from small town Mississippi has come, there is little reason to doubt that McGlowan will one day have her own office on Capitol Hill.

Selected writings

Books

Bamboozled: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda, Nelson Current Publishing, 2007.

Sources

Periodicals

Black Republican, Spring 2007, p. 24.

Washington Post, December 18, 2005, p. W6.

Washington Times, April 10, 2007, p. A2.

On-line

"Angela McGlowan," Ole Miss Rebel Insider, Alumni Association Newsletter, http://www.olemissalumni.com/newsletter/May2007/alumni_spotlight.asp (September 3, 2007).

Angela McGlowan,http://www.angelamcglowan.com (September 3, 2007).

"On Being Bamboozled," Online Athens,http://onlineathens.com/stories/041407/living_20070414010.shtml (September 3, 2007).