The Mavericks

Ray Zaborney

Partner & Founder

During his more than 2 decades in politics, Ray Zaborney has played a key role in advising some of Pennsylvania’s leading political figures. For his work, he has been recognized nationally as one of the country’s leading political consultants. Before co-founding Red Maverick Media, Zaborney served as a political strategist for some of the Republican Party’s top elected officials, party committees, and corporate leaders.

Zaborney and his team have helped lead Republicans to majorities across the country, including winning and protecting Republican majorities in Pennsylvania.

Zaborney was named a rising star in Pennsylvania Politics in 2004 by PoliticsPA and was named as one of the nations’ ten rising stars in Republican Politics by Campaigns and Elections in 2006. Campaigns and Elections Magazine named Zaborney one of the 5 most influential Republicans in the state. In 2013, Zaborney won one of Central Penn Business Journal’s “40 under 40” awards.  He has been named one of the top 17 most influential people in the state by Pennlive.com and as one of the hundred most powerful people in the state by City and State Magazine.

Ray is often sought out as a spokesperson for candidates and for his political analysis.  Ray has contributed to stories that have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Pittsburgh Tribune Review, The Harrisburg Patriot, CQ Politics, PoliticsPA, ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated and many other notable periodicals.

Zaborney has also been a frequent guest on television and radio programs throughout the Commonwealth to discuss political campaigns and the political environment both in Pennsylvania and our nation. Ray currently lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and has two daughters, Grace and Emma.

Mike Leavitt

Partner & Founder

The co-founder of Red Maverick Media, Mike brings extensive experience in political operations, public relations, and media affairs to campaigns nationwide. He has been recognized as one of Washington’s top political consultants.

In 2016, he advised the Republican Governors Association in multiple states and served as a key advisor to the Republican National Convention Host Committee, helping local civic leaders exceed their $64 million fundraising goal and stage a successful event. In 2014, Mike was instrumental in helping Larry Hogan win the Maryland Governor’s race despite a 2:1 Democratic registration advantage and being outspent by millions of dollars. As General Consultant to the campaign, he provided day-to-day strategic advice, produced targeted mail, and implemented an aggressive direct mail fundraising program.

Prior to RMM, Mike served as Chief of Staff at the Republican National Committee (RNC) where he worked extensively with then-General Counsel Reince Priebus. Mike’s leadership at the RNC helped Republicans win back the House with 64 seats and gain seven seats in the Senate – one of the Party’s best years ever. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Mike was the Regional Political Director in the Mid-Atlantic Region and played a key role in the successful Virginia gubernatorial campaign of 2009.

Prior to serving at the National Committee, Mike served as the Vice President of Political Affairs at Freedom’s Watch, where he directed all political activities and developed a Political Media Strategy for the Board of Directors. Mike also served as the Deputy National Political Director of John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and as Campaign Manager for Michael Steele’s Senate campaign in 2006.

Before garnering national attention as a political consultant, Mike served as the Executive Director of the Maine Republican Party, overseeing the Maine Victory operation for the Bush/Cheney presidential campaign in 2004. He emerged as a key player in Maine politics in 1999, when he served as the Political Director of Olympia Snowe’s successful Senate campaign and most recently helped the Maine State Senate retain their Republican majority in a Presidential election year for the first time since 1980.

Mike also has lobbying experience in the nation’s capital, serving as an associate at Cassidy & Associates. He has lectured on politics at such places as the University of Chicago, to international students in Budapest and served on panels for Campaign and Elections Magazine. Mike received his B.A. at the University of Maine and his MBA at Husson College in Bangor.

Chris Leavitt

Partner

Chris Leavitt is an experienced political operative who’s managed multiple statewide and congressional campaigns and run varied political operations over the last nine years.

In 2009, Chris was a key member of Governor Bob McDonnell’s successful field operation, which led to a statewide sweep for Republicans in Virginia. Chris was then tapped to be a Regional Political Director for the Republican Party of Michigan in 2010 where he helped lead a statewide field team that successfully elected Governor Rick Snyder.

Chris went on in 2011 to manage Virginia State Senator Bryce Reeves campaign. This win was the first defeat of an incumbent in over 30 years and was the deciding seat that gave Republicans the majority in the Virginia State Senate.

Chris’s career skyrocketed from this point and he went on to manage many campaigns including Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s reelection in 2012, Senator Mark Obenshain’s Attorney General race in 2013, and Ed Gillespie’s U.S. Senate race in 2014 and Ed Gillespie’s Gubernatorial run in 2017.

Chris’s campaign experience and knowledge navigating tough races is a perfect complement to the Red Maverick Media team. With an emphasis on writing detailed campaign plans and an eye for strategic advantages through earned and paid media efforts, Chris has the experience and understanding from the top to the bottom of a campaign.

Chris received his B.A at the University of Maine and resides in Richmond, VA with his wife Julia and dog Reagan.

Connor Smith

Vice President of Operations

Connor Smith joined Red Maverick Media in 2018, bringing extensive policy and political experience as well as legislative and executive experience in state government.

He has worked on campaigns at every level in states across the nation including Virginia, Maine, Oregon, New Hampshire and Florida.

Connor has run day-to-day operations in multiple campaigns including working with his general consultants to establish an operating budget, grassroots volunteer coordination effort and paid field programs.

He also manages the operations for Red Maverick Media, including coordinating consulting, design, printing, mailing, and AP / AR departments within the company. He has built relationships with printers across the nation, leveraging them to provide competitive pricing for Red Maverick clients.

Additionally, Connor has experience co-managing the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus, aiding in policy, political and communications strategy as well as the legislative office of Virginia Senate Republican Caucus Co-Chair and former Republican candidate for Attorney General Mark Obenshain. For a number of years, Connor ran point on liaising with lobbyists, trade associations, and interest groups to ensure effective passage of Obenshains’ priorities.

Connor was selected as a winner of the annual America’s Rising Republican Operatives (ARRO) ‘30 Under Thirty’ Awards in 2024.

His background in policy and his strong work ethic are a valuable asset to the Red Maverick Media clientele. Graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in Economics as well as Political Philosophy, Policy and Law, Connor lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife Lauren and their sons Caleb and Jacob.

Amanda Boris Stevens

Vice President

Amanda joined Red Maverick Media in 2018, bringing extensive experience in grassroots advocacy and political campaigns where she played a key role in numerous Republican victories from President of the United States to county and local races and everything in-between.

As the Vice President of the firm, Amanda is responsible for advising her clients on all aspects of their campaigns, including messaging, day-to-day operations, and audience targeting. She is well-versed in direct mail, digital, social media, polling, video scripting, photoshoot oversight, media and TV, and grassroots strategies. Today, Amanda’s clients include numerous members of the Pennsylvania State House and State Senate.

Before joining Red Maverick Media, Amanda served in numerous capacities with the Republican Party of Pennsylvania (PAGOP), beginning in 2014. Following the gubernatorial election, she stayed on as the Deputy State Director through the 2015 and 2016 elections where she supervised the field and political operations in 11 counties in the Southwest Region of Pennsylvania. In 2016, Amanda played a key role in delivering wins in the state for President Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, and other down ballot races. 

In 2017, Amanda switched her focus from campaigns to government affairs, serving as the Government Relations Director for a Pittsburgh based firm. In this role, she managed the day-to-day operations in Harrisburg by monitoring legislation, conducting grass tops outreach and working with members of the Pennsylvania State Legislature on numerous issues impacting her clients.

Following the 2016 election cycle, Amanda was named to Politics PA’s “Pennsylvania’s Rising Stars: 30 Under 30” and in 2023 was named to City & State Pennsylvania’s Above and Beyond list recognizing 50 remarkable women who are blazing new trails in their industries.

Amanda is a 2013 graduate of Duquesne University, where she earned a degree in Political Science and Public Relations.

She is a 2019 graduate of the Anne B. Anstine Excellence in Public Service Series and currently resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with her husband, Ryan, their son Jax, and their yorkie, Gidget.

Jimmy Spinella

Senior Consultant

Jimmy Spinella is an experienced political operative who has managed races at the state and federal level. From ballot initiatives to general elections, nominating conventions and even a write-in, he’s seen almost anything that can come up over the course of a campaign.

After coordinating operations for the Pennsylvania Republican Party in the 2016 election, Jimmy has traveled across the country, from Georgia to New York, Maryland to Missouri, working and managing different campaigns. He’s also spent a significant amount of time working in Virginia, mastering the different nominating processes – including primaries and conventions.

With expertise in field, messaging, budgeting, and targeting – Jimmy can reliably guide any part of the campaign process in any political environment. He graduated with a degree in Political Science from SUNY New Paltz and currently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Corinne Nakagawa

Graphic Designer

Corinne Nakagawa joined Red Maverick Media in 2023 as our Graphic Designer. She handles a majority of the graphic design projects herself and has experience working in this industry for the last couple of years. At Red Maverick Media, she creates visually appealing direct mail, logos, collateral, social media graphics and digital ads on behalf of our clients. She graduated from James Madison University in Virginia where she received her BFA in Graphic Design. Born and raised in Winchester, Virginia, Corinne now resides in Richmond.