Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Ace Smith

No. 23 Ace Smith

In recent years we have combined Smith on this list with colleagues Juan Rodriguez and Sean Clegg under their company moniker, Bearstar Strategies. It was a cop out, but we’ve come to our senses. Because as formidable as they are as a trio under the Bearstar umbrella, Smith was already an all-star political consultant practically before his partners were born. He is a master strategist and opposition researcher who has guided a litany of state and national campaigns, helping to elect governors (Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom), U.S. Senators (Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Kamala Harris) and mayors (Ed Lee, Antonio Villaraigosa), and that is just the California list. And he was of course involved in the successful Prop. 50 campaign. His input also doesn’t end on election night – he remains a long term strategist for many of his clients, including Newsom. He was also one of many folks on this list who initially were in Camp Swalwell, but we said he was good, not infallible.

Updated Aug 11, 2026