about us

Mike Hafner is one of the leading Missouri-based political and media relations consultants working in the field today. He has earned a reputation as a trusted and authoritative voice on political and public policy issues, and specializes in strategic communications, political campaign management, public affairs, crisis communications, government relations and legislative lobbying.

With over 15 years of high-profile experience in politics, media, and government relations at the federal, state and local levels, Hafner has worked on several successful efforts raising millions of dollars for campaigns and electing Republican candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. He has served as manager, consultant, advisor, and spokesman for multi-million dollar candidate and ballot issue campaigns in highly competitive nationally-watched races, and frequently testifies on policy issues before state legislative committees.

Prior to forming Spartan Strategic, from 2011-2015 Hafner served as Vice President of Government Affairs at Barklage & Knodell, a leading Missouri political consulting and government affairs firm. Hafner also served as Director of Government Relations for the Regional Business Council, a consortium of the Presidents and CEOs of 100 of the St. Louis bi-state region’s largest employers. At the RBC, Mike led the Governance Initiative where he advocated for business-friendly public policies and identified areas where CEO collaboration could significantly impact legislative policy development in Missouri and Illinois. 

Hafner has held numerous leadership roles in prominent campaigns ranging from the State House to Congress and the White House. In 2007, Mike moved to Little Rock to work on Governor Mike Huckabee’s Presidential campaign prior to his meteoric rise as eventual winner of the Iowa caucuses. In his role for Gov. Huckabee, Mike directed campaign teams in the “Super Tuesday” states, in addition to other early voting states. Following Gov. Huckabee’s departure from the race, Hafner served as Coalitions Director for the Missouri Republican Party for the 2008 cycle.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Mike holds a B.A. in English and a Certificate in Business Administration from Saint Louis University. He splits his time between St. Louis and Columbia, MO. 

Contact him today at mike@spartan-strategic.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @HafnerMO, where he opines on all things political, business, and sports.