Mark Block

Mark Block (born October 8, 1954) is an American political strategist who served as chief of staff and campaign manager for Herman Cain during his unsuccessful 2012 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Block has previously worked for Americans for Prosperity.

In 1974, Block became the first 18-year-old ever elected to office in Wisconsin, when he won a position on the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. In the late 1970s, he worked for Republican Congressman William A. Steiger until Steiger's death in 1978, and then took a job with NCR Corporation from 1979 to 1990.

Block founded several organizations including the MacIver Institute for Public Policy.

Block has run and consulted on numerous campaigns in Wisconsin since the 1980s. Among others, he ran Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson's re-election campaign in 1990. Following the 1997 campaign of Jon P. Wilcox for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, allegations were made by the Wisconsin Elections Board of election law violations. These were settled in 2001 when Block agreed to pay a $15,000 fine (though, without admitting any wrongdoing) and not to work on any campaigns until 2004.

By 2007, Block was serving as the Wisconsin director of the "pro-business" political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. In 1997 Block wad investigated by the State Elections Board of Wisconsin (now part of the Government Accountability Board) and agreed to a plea agreement and the payment of a $15,000 fine. In November of 2012, the IRS was asked to investigate Block's Prosperity USA for spending over $40,000 of tax-exempt donations to pay for private jets, travel, and computers for Herman Cain's presidential bid. Tax-exempt charities are prohibited from intervening in the political campaign for any candidate for public office, no matter the post. CMD also asked that the IRS investigate a variety of other nonprofit groups associated with Block, including the Wisconsin Prosperity Network.

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