Joe Shumate, political consultant to Pete Wilson, dies

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Joe Shumate, the senior political strategist for Gov. Pete Wilson, was found dead Friday in his Sacramento apartment. He was 69.

He was considered an expert in redistricting methods. He had recently worked for U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina and the California Chamber of Commerce.

Shumate was one of three former Wilson aides who helped Russian President Boris Yeltsin during his campaign for president. He was portrayed by actor Leiv Schreiber in a Showtime film, ‘Spinning Boris,’ about the Russian election.

-- Anthony York in Sacramento