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Republican governors had arguably the best showing of anyone on Election Day last month, and a key mastermind behind their efforts is Phil Cox, who cut his teeth in Virginia politics and has now become one of the most sought-after campaign staffers of the 2016 presidential cycle.

The 40-year-old, who stepped down after nearly four years as executive director of the Republican Governors Association, is credited with playing an instrumental role in expanding the number of GOP governors in a year when they were just supposed to be trying to limit losses. He added to a resume that already included local and statewide victories in Virginia, a key swing state.

Still, Mr. Cox has largely floated under the radar, leaving the political limelight to his boss, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The fact that nobody outside of Washington knows his name, other than governors and their staffs, tells you everything about how he approaches his job, said Mike McKenna, a GOP strategist who has worked with Mr. Cox. He is not the star; he is the guy behind the scenes doing the work day in and day out. He is very much what he is. He is a blue-collar guy from Massachusetts, and he does the blue-collar work.

Massachusetts was also the scene of one of his big triumphs last month, when Republicans captured the governorship of the deep-blue state, along with those of Maryland, Illinois and Arkansas, and held onto governorships in 20 of the 22 states they were defending, including surviving tough challenges in Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas and Maine.

Phil Cox kept the RGA focused on good policy and good politics, said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who was re-elected and could be eying a presidential run. His leadership was key to our recall win in 2012 and helping a wave of us get elected in 2014. Plus, Phil is just a quality guy.

Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan, who pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the campaign season, said that the Cox-Christie duo was instrumental in helping me achieve victory in a deep-blue state.

The fact that we now have 31 Republican governors is a testament to the outstanding job of Phil Cox and his team, Mr. Hogan said.

Democrats also took note.

Over the last four years, weve gone head-to-head in a number of races, said Colm OComartun, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. You win some, you lose some, but Phil was always a true professional, and he did a good job leading his organization.

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Republican kingmaker Phil Cox sets eyes on 2016 race