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Democrat Bob Shrum quitting politics

NEW YORK, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Democrat Bob Shrum, who for 30 years has been one of his party's most influential strategists and was a top Kerry campaign adviser, is quitting politics.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Shrum, who is moving to New York to be a senior fellow at New York University, was through with political consulting.

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"I wanted to reflect on what I've done, not just keep doing it," he said in an interview.

Shrum played key roles in eight losing Democrat presidential campaigns and two-dozen winning Senate races. In his last job, as a top adviser to Sen. John F. Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, he was criticized for failing to help Kerry develop a clear, consistent message.

He made his reputation in 1980 by drafting the widely-praised speech Sen. Ted Kennedy gave to the Democratic National Convention after he failed to wrest the presidential nomination from Jimmy Carter.

Shrum said he still intended to dispense political advice, but it would now be on his own time.

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