Marc Short (born March 3, 1970) is an American political advisor who served as chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence. Prior to holding this role, Short was the director of legislative affairs at the White House from 2017 to 2018. He became chief of staff for Pence in March 2019. He was a senior fellow at the Miller Center of Public Affairs, a CNN contributor, chief of staff to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and the House Republican Conference. He was president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce from 2011 to 2016. He was a frequent guest on Meet The Press of NBC News. Early life and education Marc Short was born in Virginia, the son of Richard T. "Dick" Short III, an insurance executive, and his wife Florence "Kim" Timolat Short. The family lived "in a comfortable waterfront home on the eastern tip of Virginia Beach’s Bay Island." He attended Norfolk Academy from grade school to high school. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1992. While an undergraduate at Washington and Lee University, Short co-founded The Spectator in 1989, a conservative paper. He served as editor until 1992, when he graduated. In a column for the paper, Short "disparaged people living with HIV and AIDS," stating "the propaganda campaign ignited by gay activists and carelessly perpetuated by journalists whose intent is to scare all heterosexuals into believing they are prime targets for contraction of the disease. The campaign's purpose is both to lobby Congress for more federal funding of AIDS research and to destigmatize the perverted lifestyles homosexuals pursue." Career Short served as finance director for Oliver North's unsuccessful 1994 Senate campaign in Virginia. He then worked as spokesperson and executive director for The Freedom Alliance. Short was also the executive director of Young America's Foundation. In 1998, the group purchased the Reagan Ranch in California, with the intention of using it for leadership seminars for college students. Short managed the property with his wife and got his start in fundraising from conservative donors. The Shorts then returned to Virginia, where he received his MBA from the University of Virginia. Following his graduation, Short was hired as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. He then worked for Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, eventually becoming her chief of staff. When Hutchison ran for Governor of Texas, Short started working for then-Congressman Mike Pence, who named