Ralph Reed
A central architect of the modern Christian Right's political machine, blending evangelical mobilization with hard-nosed campaign strategy.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American political pundit·Birthday: June 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ralph Reed emerged in the late 1980s as the youthful, telegenic face of a new political force. As the first executive director of the Christian Coalition under Pat Robertson, he masterminded a grassroots revolution, teaching conservative evangelicals to wield influence through local precincts and voter guides. He transformed moral outrage into political clout, making the Coalition a feared power broker in the Republican Party throughout the 1990s. After leaving the Coalition, he became a political consultant and lobbyist, facing controversy over his work with Jack Abramoff. Undeterred, he founded the Faith and Freedom Coalition, aiming to apply his model of mobilization to 21st-century digital campaigning, ensuring that religious conservative voters remain a pivotal bloc in American elections.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ralph was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ralph Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Ralph's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the founding Executive Director of the Christian Coalition, building it into a major political force in the 1990s.
- Founded the Faith and Freedom Coalition in 2009, a conservative advocacy group focused on voter mobilization.
- Authored the book 'Active Faith,' which detailed his philosophy of religious political engagement.
- Ran for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2006, narrowly losing in the Republican primary.
Did You Know?
He earned a Ph.D. in American History from Emory University, writing his dissertation on the political activism of Southern evangelist preachers.
In college, he was the national chairman of the College Republicans.
He provided frequent political commentary as a contributor on CNN in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
He was a champion debater in high school and college.
“Politics is about addition, not subtraction; build a coalition and win.”
