Next chapter for this Pritzker team

By: Shia Kapos

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Jordan Abudayyeh and Jason Rubin, names synonymous for years with Gov. JB Pritzker’s team, have launched Abudayyeh Rubin Communications Strategies (ARC Strategies), a firm focused on helping companies and organizations tell their stories. ARC Strategies also will offer crisis communications, public relations, media training and speechwriting.

Their exit: We reported their leaving the governor’s office a couple of weeks ago in The Buzz.

Their backstory: Abudayyeh and Rubin most recently served as deputy chiefs of staff for communications in Pritzker’s office, playing integral roles in managing day-to-day operations and messaging, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the years, Abudayyeh became a go-to for reporters wanting help in understanding the ins and outs of Pritzker’s budget proposals and other legislative endeavors.

Also on their resumes: Abudayyeh was a campaign press secretary during Pritzker’s first campaign in 2018, and earlier she worked as a political reporter at WICS in Springfield. Rubin, who oversaw internal communications for more than 30 state agencies and boards, also worked on comms for Pritzker’s campaign. Previously, he did similar work for campaigns in Florida and New York.

“We’re excited to utilize our extensive skill sets, homegrown in one of the toughest political environments in the nation, to provide strategic counsel to clients,” Abudayyeh said in a statement announcing the new firm.