Craig Carbone
Partner
ccarbone@continentalstrategy.com
(202) 642-5989
Craig Carbone is a Partner at Continental Strategy. Craig was the long-serving Chief of Staff to US Senator Rick Scott (FL) where he honed his political, international and domestic policy skills. Prior to working in the US Senate, Craig was a winning campaign operative, who often assumed multiples roles at once.
Craig has an unmatched ability to lead a team and a tireless work ethic. In Washington, Craig was one of the most senior staffers in the areas of national defense, military readiness, national security infrastructure, border security, trade, and fiscal accountability. Craig’s work included strategic coordination for the Senator with key federal agencies including the US Department of Defense, US Department of Commerce, US Department of Homeland Security, and US Department of State, as well as national political stakeholders including the White House, NRSC, and Senate and House leadership.
Craig is known for his decades of experience that include hundreds of policy and funding wins at the state and federal level. In 2024, he was named a top operative in the Senate GOP leader election by Punchbowl. He has also been recognized by Florida Politics as one of the states’ most influential voices (2022).
Craig also led high-level Republican strategy in the Senate, helping shape conference policy and messaging while overseeing Senator Scott’s term as Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (2021–2023) from his role as Chief of Staff. Craig’s career is defined by strategic leadership and an unmatched understanding of the connection between domestic and foreign policy, including the intersection between the two - national security.
Most notably, Senator Scott was named one of the Most Effective Senators by the Center for Effective Lawmaking (2025) and received national recognition for best-in-class constituent services from the Congressional Management Foundation (2022), during Craig’s leadership.
Before serving in the Senate, Craig was a top advisor for Rick Scott’s historic U.S. Senate victory, successfully helping the team navigate a full statewide machine and hand recount. CNN named it the “Best Campaign of 2018” after defeating long-time incumbent Bill Nelson in one of the closest US Senate races in Florida history.
Prior to that race, Craig was a senior official on Governor Rick Scott’s successful 2014 re-election campaign, and he served in key policy and budget roles in Florida’s Executive Branch. During this time, he oversaw thousands of gubernatorial appointments across critical sectors including education, environment, commerce, and transportation.
Craig earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Miami and a Masters of Public Administration from Florida International University.
ACCOLADES
Longtime Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Rick Scott, shaping national security, foreign policy, and domestic strategy.
Senior architect of Senator Scott’s 2018 U.S. Senate win, one of the closest in Florida history and named “Best Campaign of 2018” by CNN.
Recognized as a top GOP operative by Punchbowl News and one of Florida’s most influential political voices by Florida Politics.
Veteran strategist with decades of experience leading high-stakes campaigns, federal policy wins, and Republican Senate leadership efforts.
EDUCATION
Florida International University, Masters of Public Administration
University of Miami, B.S.