Mark Braden

Mark Braden concentrates his work principally on the law of the political process, including work with election and campaign agencies, voting issues, redistricting, and ethics and lobbying regulations – areas in which he has substantial knowledge and unusual experience.

He provides effective, and often highly innovative, legal guidance when representing individuals and organizations in the political arena and counseling some of the largest political action committees (PACs) and campaigns in the nation. Mark spent 10 years as chief counsel to the Republican National Committee prior to joining BakerHostetler. He is widely recognized for his knowledge of state election laws, having served as chief counsel to the Ohio Elections Commission and election counsel to the Ohio Secretary of State. Mark has played a significant role in the redistricting process nationwide. And in campaign finance, he was the father of “soft money” as originally used in national campaigns.

Mark is a former member of the adjunct faculty of George Washington University and Catholic University, and former special election law counsel to the United States House of Representatives’ Administration Committee. He has testified before congressional committees and the Federal Election Commission, and his experience in the legal and political arenas has resulted in invitations to lecture at universities and institutes nationwide. He has authored International Election Principles: Election, Chapter: “Early and Absentee Voting” (ABA Publishing, 2009) and Election Reform in the United States after Bush v. Gore, eds. Grofman & Alvarez, Chapter: “Entering the Political Thicket” (Cambridge University Press, 2013)

• J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law
• B.A., Washington and Lee University