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Every week, we feature a Californian whose work, influence, or integrity stands out, even in a state that sometimes values the opposite. Some make an impact through activism, others through scholarship, and many through steady effort. These profiles are open to all subscribers and guests. We start 2026 with a very important one! At the end of this profile, premium subscribers can watch a special video tribute from our Publisher, Jon Fleischman, who is the author of this profile.
A Professional in an Era Before Politics Became Performance
Ken Khachigian represents a generation of political professionals who saw politics as a responsibility rather than a performance. In California, where this approach has often been challenged, he built a career on discipline, sound judgment, and respect for voters, even in difficult circumstances. His influence is shown not in notoriety, but in concrete results: governors elected, institutions stabilized, and campaigns conducted with uncommon seriousness.
Khachigian’s career defies easy categorization. He is often described as a Reagan speechwriter, which is accurate but incomplete. He is also a Nixon confidant, a California campaign manager, a ballot-measure tactician, and a quiet force behind judicial and gubernatorial races that influenced the state for decades. What unites these roles is not ideology for ideology’s sake, but an insistence on message discipline, moral seriousness, and respect for voters.
From the Central Valley to the Center of Power
Khachigian grew up in Visalia, California, in an Armenian-American farming family in the Central Valley. He entered politics through merit and hard work, not inherited connections. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he served as student body president, and later earned a law degree from Columbia.
These credentials opened doors, but did not define his career. Khachigian stood out early for his discretion, loyalty, and ability to work under pressure without seeking attention.
Nixon: Stewardship, Not Campaigning
Khachigian began his work with Richard Nixon as a young aide on the 1968 presidential campaign. He later served in the Nixon White House and, after Nixon’s resignation, worked directly for the former president in San Clemente.
There, Khachigian became a trusted aide during Nixon’s exile and rehabilitation. He assisted with Nixon’s memoirs, prepared him for the Frost/Nixon interviews, and acted as an intermediary with Republican leaders. Though the work was not glamorous and carried reputational risk, it demonstrated Khachigian’s institutional loyalty and avoidance of theatrics.
Reagan: Campaigns and Governing
While Nixon influenced Khachigian’s understanding of power, Ronald Reagan shaped his approach to persuasion. Khachigian served as a senior speechwriter for Reagan’s 1980 campaign, crafting stump speeches and preparing for debates, and continued contributing major speeches during the 1984 reelection.
Khachigian served as Reagan’s chief speechwriter early in the administration and later continued to contribute major speeches in subsequent campaign years. He helped write Reagan’s first inaugural address, State of the Union addresses, and major foreign policy addresses. His role expanded beyond words into crisis management—the fireman role he later described—handling moments when clarity and restraint mattered more than rhetoric.
It’s worth mentioning that over his career, Ken has participated in nine Presidential campaigns!
Returning to California’s Hardest Fights
Unlike many Presidential administration alumni who remained in Washington, Khachigian returned to California politics and became a central figure in the state’s governing wing of the GOP.
He was principal strategist for George Deukmejian’s successful gubernatorial campaigns in 1982 and 1986, building a calm, law-and-order message. He advised Pete Wilson in his winning statewide races for U.S. Senate and governor. He managed Dan Lungren’s attorney general campaigns, including a narrow win in 1990 and a landslide reelection in 1994.
Khachigian also took on challenging campaigns that others avoided. He was campaign manager and chief strategist for Bruce Herschensohn’s 1992 U.S. Senate race, managed the Yes on Proposition 174 school-voucher initiative, and led the successful retention campaign for California Supreme Court Justice Ming Chin in 1998.
During the 2003 recall, Khachigian was chief strategist and message adviser for Darrell Issa’s gubernatorial campaign. Issa’s withdrawal reflected a principle that Khachigian consistently upheld: the cause and the state take precedence over personal ambition. Issa, of course, went on to a successful career in the United States Congress.
A Consistent Philosophy and Personal Mentorship
Throughout these campaigns, Khachigian applied Reagan’s lessons: clarity over cleverness, moral confidence without anger, and strict message discipline. He avoided turning California Republicans into culture-war figures, a restraint that contributed to both his successes and relative obscurity. Khachigian did not seek the spotlight, serving on institutional boards and staying active in public life without seeking recognition.
Perhaps more than anyone else I have profiled, Ken Khachigian has been a personal role model. When I entered California politics in the late 1980s, Ken was already recognized as a serious conservative strategist and disciplined communicator. As a young activist, I was trusted by Ken and his colleagues with significant projects and assignments.
I have many fond memories of the Bruce Herschensohn Senate campaign in the early 1990s. Over time, Ken took an active interest in my transition from conservative activist to professional engagement in the cause.
For longtime readers of FlashReport, a brief history is helpful. In 2000, as I completed my time as Executive Director of the California Republican Party, I sought Ken’s advice on my next steps. He encouraged me to expand a modest weekly email of political analysis and curated clips to a larger readership. That advice led directly to the creation of the FlashReport and, subsequently, to this website, FlashReport’s "So Does It Matter?"
Ken’s support at a crucial point in my life was extraordinarily impactful. This quiet influence is a key part of his legacy, as he has guided many who later shaped California politics.
The Author: Reagan and Nixon, Behind Closed Doors
In 2024, Khachigian wrote an insider account of the relationship between two presidents he knew personally, providing a fresh viewpoint on their interactions. His book, Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan & Nixon, is a work of political history based on firsthand experience rather than a conventional biography.
Drawing on his years working with Richard Nixon after the presidency and Ronald Reagan during both campaigns and governing, Khachigian argues that the Reagan–Nixon relationship was far more consequential—and far more cooperative—than commonly understood. Rather than relying on familiar stories or secondhand accounts, the book includes stories and strategic insights that have never been told or published elsewhere.
“A profoundly fascinating insider’s look at the Cold War’s most legendary presidents.”
- Hugh Hewitt
Khachigian’s perspective distinguishes this account. He witnessed the decisions, tensions, and adjustments that defined the relationship between the two presidents. As a result, the book reads as measured testimony grounded in real political experience.
In many ways, the book serves as a capstone to Khachigian’s career, showing his respect for institutions, seriousness about power, and resistance to simplistic narratives.
There is an entire website about the book [ [link removed] ], including how to order it — and I encourage you to look at the gallery of great photos!
Personal Life
Ken and his wife, Meredith, live in San Clemente, in south Orange County. They have two daughters and several grandchildren. Meredith served for many years on the University of California Board of Regents. Their family life remains deliberately private, maintaining a clear boundary between public service and personal life.
Why Ken Khachigian Matters
Ken Khachigian’s career demonstrates what effective California Republicanism once was and could be again. He believed voters should be persuaded, not provoked; that institutions matter; and that losing with credibility is preferable to winning by burning bridges.
In an era increasingly dominated by performance politics, Khachigian distinguishes himself as a professional who treated politics as a serious calling. His legacy is not measured in viral moments but in campaigns that governed, institutions that held, and messages that endured.
A Great Video (For Those Who Have Some Time To Invest)
Check Out Our Library of 26 Other California Patriot Profiles!
Each week, we profile an exemplary California conservative. Previous profiles have been of San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, Political Law Attorney Chuck Bell, Federal Judge Roger Benitez, the late Andrew Breitbart, actor and comedian Adam Carolla, HJTA President Jon Coupal, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, actor Kelsey Grammer, investigative journalist Katy Grimes, pro-liberty attorney Julie Hamill, historian Victor Davis Hanson, Dr. Charles Kesler, Editor of the Claremont Review of Books, Congressman Kevin Kiley, talk radio host John Kobylt, Former San Diego County GOP Chairman Tony Krvaric, Pastor Rob McCoy of Turning Point Faith, Former CAGOP Chairman Ron Nehring, the late Second Amendment champion Sam Paredes, talk radio hosts John Phillips and Dennis Prager, actor Gary Sinise, economist and author Thomas Sowell, actor James Woods, and constitutional scholar John Yoo.
You can go here [ [link removed] ] to see them all! If you have an idea for a profile of a patriot, let me know!
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