An ASU law student getting his degree in December is the local go-to guy for all things political in Arizona.
In late fall 2004, EspressoPundit.com creator Greg Patterson, now 45, was happy if four or five people visited his new site every day. Now it’s blown out into a 2,000-hit-a-day local and national source for political junkies who want to be in the political know.
Who would have known that an espresso machine bought for him as a father’s day gift four years ago would have played so heavily into his political fame.
“I was drinking three cups a day and getting so agitated about politics and the media that I was driving my kids crazy — I eventually realized that the machine automatically made double espressos,” Patterson said. “I finally decided to start writing my thoughts down and decided to call the blog Espresso Pundit.”
He then started breaking national stories from Arizona’s backyard, most notably a story in the fall of 2006 about the unveiling of the Arizona 9/11 Memorial, which, he said, was offensive.
“It wasn’t covered locally, then eventually the East Valley Tribune did a little blurb on it. Then the Drudge Report picked it up,” Patterson said. “Next thing I know I’m on Fox national news at 4:30 in morning.”
It’s been slow but exponential growth, Patterson said, and much of his site’s success has come from a comprehensive network of sources, which can be analyzed from an insider’s perspective.
They are sources he has drawn from his involvement in Arizona state government for 20 years.
“Government is important because it is the fundamental bedrock of what makes our society function,” Patterson said. “The badly governed suffer.”
He has served in the Arizona House of Representatives and in the Residential Utility Consumer Office. As director of the office, he defended consumer interests by using its influence with the Arizona Corporation Commission.
“I have a love for how people interact to solve complex problems,” Patterson said.
Most recently he was elected to the Maricopa County Health-Care District Board, which oversees county health care operations.
Patterson’s involvement in the political scene brings authority to Espresso Pundit, said Jason Rose, CEO and founder of Rose & Allyn Public Relations. The two met in the 1990s when, Rose said, he was a “young punk” and Patterson was his state representative.
“The important thing about Greg’s blog is that he’s run and won campaigns. Greg Patterson has governed and understands what he’s writing about. He’s on the front lines,” Rose said. “It’s one thing for someone who watches a lot of Fox News to blog. Greg has the real world experience.”
Last week Rose & Allyn Public Relations named Patterson as “Best Blogger Who Should Be On The Arizona Republic Editorial Board.” It was the firm’s third Annual 4th Estate Awards, which honors Phoenix media for everything from the superficial to the genuine, Rose said.
Patterson’s ability to keep checks on the media is one thing that is unique about Espresso Pundit, he said.
“It’s both newsy and insightful. Espresso Pundit was one of the first political blogs out there,” Rose said. “It provides great insight about what’s going on with media and politics.”
Patterson is able to dissect happenings in the political world and explain them for an audience that not only includes armchair politicians but also insiders, political consultant Stan Barnes said.
“Espresso Pundit is crossing the bridge between insiders and the mainstream. It is read by opinion-leading people and vehicles, like the Arizona Republic,” he said.
Patterson and Barnes met in 1990 when they were two of the youngest representatives in the Arizona House. Patterson went on to thrive in government, Barnes said.
“He’s been through the trenches of elections, the legislature and media politics,” Barnes said. “He sees an event and puts it into context with snappy and pithy writing.”
Reach the reporter at philip.haldiman@asu.edu.
