From Liberty Law to political strategist, Liberty alumnus advances conservative values in D.C.

When Liberty University School of Law alumnus James Kimmey (’13) started the Young Republicans club at his high school in San Diego, the first of its kind in Southern California, he never imagined the impact he would make for the conservative cause later in his career.

Known as the “Republican” at his high school, the now 37-year-old Kimmey was always politically conservative. But because of his steadfast entrepreneurial efforts and connections made through his undergraduate and law school pursuits at Liberty, he is now making waves on the national political landscape.

Kimmey and fellow Liberty graduate and Chief of Staff for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) Brent Robertson (’11) started the Senate Working Group (SWG) in 2021, a nonprofit that trains, educates, and unifies Republican senate staffers to ensure its policies benefit the American people. The nonprofit is now overseen by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), where Kimmey works as a consultant to help scale it to new and unimaginable heights.

“I never thought in a million years that I would be as politically connected as I am,” said Kimmey, who was the first person in his family to earn a post-graduate degree. “High school James — and even Liberty James — would never have thought this would be possible.”

The two-time Liberty graduate and licensed attorney is a frequent political commentator on Newsmax and Fox News, where he appears as a Republican strategist. He is also a regular contributor to various outlets as a political writer, sharing insights on politics, elections, and current events.

After a high school classmate recommended Kimmey attend Liberty University, Kimmey participated in College for a Weekend (CFAW), a 3-day event offering high school students an opportunity to live on and explore campus, watch sporting events, and attend classes.

“I came out for CFAW, and I was blown away,” he said. “I remember coming back after that weekend to my parents and telling them that I wanted to come to Liberty.”

Two weeks after submitting his application, Kimmey was accepted into Liberty, where he found solace in the Helms School of Government and earned a degree in politics and policy with a minor in international relations.

With dreams of living and working in Washington, D.C., Kimmey opted for law school to boost his chances of long-term success in the nation’s capital, even though being a practicing attorney wasn’t his long-term plan.

“I knew I would be at a disadvantage if I’m not a lawyer going into D.C. competing for jobs,” said Kimmey, noting that roughly one in 12 employees in Washington have legal backgrounds. “When a lot of my classmates were getting their internships and moving up to D.C., I decided to sacrifice the next three years to go to law school.”

Kimmey said Liberty Law did more than teach its students to pass the bar exam — it provided practical experience from a Christian foundation, and it equipped them with the appropriate tools to succeed as lawyers.

From 2010-13, Kimmey ran through the gauntlet of Liberty Law, where he learned to write briefs, file motions, argue before a jury and judge, and how to conduct client interviews.

“Every law school across the country will teach you the same stuff,” he said. “You go to law school to learn enough to pass the bar exam. Liberty was unique because it taught us the foundations, but they took it to the next level: they taught us how to be a lawyer.”

Liberty Law offers extensive training for its students through the Center for Lawyering Skills, giving participants comprehensive experience to become “practice-ready” upon graduation.

“Liberty Law was great because as you’re learning the foundations of law from a bar exam standpoint, you’re also learning the Judeo-Christian foundations, which are the laws that resulted in the creation of our Constitution,” Kimmey said.

Kimmey keeps his license active every year, but he doesn’t practice. Instead, he spent the next decade following graduation as a philanthropic advisor for high-net-worth families, helping wealthy individuals navigate their generosity goals with confidence.

“People with money get hit up every day by different organizations, but my job was helping them navigate through the noise to find those entities that could use the money and would execute it in a smart way that would actually be beneficial,” said Kimmey, who helped raise tens of millions of dollars for meaningful nonprofits and charitable causes before becoming the director of the Senate Working Group.

SWG has become a reputable networking resource for senate staff to work together to advance America First policies. Since 2021, Kimmey has seen it grow exponentially, hosting nearly a dozen events that focused on policy discussions and driving the America First agenda forward.

Through it all, Kimmey looks back with gratefulness at his seven years at Liberty, particularly how it trained him to become a Champion for Christ while working in Washington.

“If you want to get involved in politics, or if you want to go to D.C., you will want to go to a school that is going to help you get there,” he said. “Liberty does a great job at having that connection with D.C. There is such a good direct pipeline, and I think that that is so important. … Liberty put me on a path that I don’t think I would have had growing up in San Diego. Had I not attended Liberty, I think my life would be wildly different.”