John Nothdurft

John Nothdurft joined the staff of The Heartland Institute in May 2008 as Heartland's legislative specialist on budget and tax policy. He was named government relations director in November 2010.

John's responsibilities include managing the Government Relations Department staff and tracking their performance; interacting with elected officials and staff; tracking new legislation; and drafting responses to emerging issues via talking points, news releases, and op-ed pieces, with the goal of educating legislators and informing them about free-market ideas.

John is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force, and he has testified before multiple state legislatures on a wide range of issues. His work has been published in scores of publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Detroit News, Chicago Sun-Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Investor’s Business Daily.

Prior to joining Heartland John was national press coordinator for Americans for Fair Taxation, on of the largest grassroots tax-reform organizations in the country. While working for FairTax, John managed the media relations efforts and played a central role in organizing a 25-stop Iowa bus tour leading up to the 2006 Iowa Straw Poll. This work led to National Review characterizing the organization’s impact as being "the biggest success story of the 2008 Republican primary season."

Born in Marietta, Georgia, John graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Mississippi.