Gergen served Republicans Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and Democrat Bill Clinton, earning praise for his communications skills…
David Gergen, the influential political strategist who helped shape the messaging of four U.S. presidents, died Thursday in Lexington, Mass., at 83. His son, Christopher, said the cause was Lewy body dementia.
Gergen served Republicans Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and Democrat Bill Clinton, earning praise for his communications skills while avoiding the scandals that engulfed each administration.
He famously coached Reagan to ask voters during a 1980 debate: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” — a line credited with sealing victory.
“It’s one of those things that you sometimes strike gold,” Gergen later recalled.
Beyond the White House, Gergen was a magazine editor, CNN commentator, and Harvard Kennedy School professor.
“I feel the moment you walk out there and lie to the press, that you’re finished,” he once said.
He is survived by his wife, Anne, two children, and five grandchildren.