FORMER SENATOR KEVIN THOMAS JOINS MERCURY PUBLIC AFFAIRS AS LONG ISLAND CO-CHAIR
Former State Senator joins political strategist and campaign veteran Al Freedman in Mercury’s New York operation
(New York, NY) Mercury Public Affairs announced two key additions to our New York office today: former New York State Senator the Honorable Kevin Thomas and campaign expert Alexander “Al” Freedman. Senator Thomas will be joining Mercury as Co-Chair of Long Island and Al will be joining as a Senior Vice President specializing in campaigns and public affairs.
“We continue to look towards the future and building the best team in the business both here in New York and nationally,” said NY lead partner Charlie King. “Senator Thomas and Al’s expertise and knowledge of the New York and national political landscapes will be valuable assets to our team and our clients.”
Senator Kevin Thomas comes to Mercury with deep experience in both public service and advocacy. In 2018, he made history as the first Indian American elected to the New York State Senate. During his time in the Legislature, he served as Assistant Majority Leader for House Operations and chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection.
Prior to his political career, Kevin worked as an attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group, where he focused on supporting underrepresented communities, and served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ advisory committee. Senator Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and earned his Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School.
“Joining Mercury Public Relations is an exciting new chapter after my time as a State Senator,” said Kevin Thomas. “Here, I’ll continue to advocate for the communities I’ve served, leveraging my legislative experience to drive meaningful change on a broader scale.”
Al Freedman is a seasoned political strategist with over a decade of experience in campaign management, fundraising, and strategic communications. As Principal of AFPCF since 2020, he has advised high-profile clients such as Everytown for Gun Safety, the Benedict Silverman Foundation, StandUp PAC, and various elected officials at the city, state, and federal levels.
Throughout his career, Al has worked on a variety of campaigns across local, state, and federal elections. Most recently, he served as Campaign Manager for Ravi Bhalla’s 2024 congressional bid in New Jersey’s 8th District. In 2022, he managed Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s successful re-election campaign in New Mexico. Al also served as Deputy Political Director for Beto O’Rourke’s 2020 presidential campaign and as Border State Director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, among other high-profile races.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Charlie and the rest of the team at Mercury to help build and execute winning campaigns at the city, state, and federal levels,” said Al Freedman. “From City Hall to Congress, candidates running for office must be ready to meet the political moment and present a bold vision of change for our communities. By leveraging my experience engaging voters and winning races across the country – from New Mexico to New England – I’m excited to bring my track record and expertise to our clients here in New York and nationally.”
About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states.
The firm has 14 offices throughout the nation. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group. Learn more at mercuryllc.com.
About Omnicom PR Group (OPRG)
Omnicom PR Group (OPRG) is the largest global network of communications and consulting agencies in the world. It is home to three of the top global PR agencies FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and more than a dozen specialist agencies in corporate and public affairs, political consulting and advertising, language strategy, global health strategy and organizational transformation. OPRG is part of Omnicom (NYSE: OMC). www.TeamOPRG.com.
