Charlotte Hornets President Fred Whitfield is taking on a new role—outside the world of professional sports. He has joined forces with Ches McDowell, recently spotlighted by The Wall Street Journal as a leading figure among the “MAGA lobbyists” shaking up Washington politics.
Whitfield is now serving as a senior strategic advisor for Checkmate Government Relations, a lobbying firm based in Winston-Salem and launched in December 2023 by 35-year-old McDowell.
In a May 1 interview with CBJ, Whitfield and McDowell explained that Whitfield will remain in Charlotte, working with local clients and spearheading business development efforts for the firm’s newly established Washington, D.C., office on Pennsylvania Avenue, near the White House.
McDowell’s unconventional path to influence in D.C.—including a falconry outing with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. months before he joined Trump’s Cabinet—has drawn national attention. The Wall Street Journal featured a photo of McDowell in khakis and a blazer beside a taxidermied bear to illustrate his unique persona.
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