Campaign buttons spotted for Hillary Rodham Clinton in Davenport, Iowa, last October.Credit Daniel Acker for The New York Times
Hillary Rodham Clinton appears determined to put to rest questions about whether she will aggressively compete in the Iowa caucuses.
Mrs. Clinton has dispatched Michael Halle, formerly a top adviser to Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, to the state that starts the 2016 presidential nominating contest to develop and help execute her strategy there Mr. Halle, who is expected to ultimately serve in a senior role in Mrs. Clinton’s political department, will be based in Iowa through the caucuses.
He is close with Robby Mook, Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, who ran Mr. McAuliffe’s race for governor in 2013. They are part of a small cadre of staff members from that campaign planning to work for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. McAuliffe, of course, is a longtime Clinton loyalist who served as Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman in her 2008 run for the presidency.
Mr. Halle will work closely with Matt Paul, a native Iowan and former aide to Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack. Additionally, Mrs. Clinton has tapped two other operatives to work on her Iowa campaign: Molly Schermann, who has worked for a number of Democratic campaigns in the state, and Lenora Hanks, another veteran of Mr. McAuliffe’s bid
Mr. Halle worked for President Obama’s Iowa operation leading to the then-Illinois senator’s decisive victory in the 2008 caucuses, which dealt a devastating blow to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign.
Given that experience – and the fact that her campaign even considered pulling out of the state in the months leading to those caucuses – there has been some speculation about how intensely she will contest Iowa next year.
But by sending an operative such as Mr. Halle, with his ties to Mr. Mook and Mr. McAuliffe, this early to the state, she seems to be making a statement.
In addition to the staff hires, Mrs. Clinton is expected to travel to Iowa soon after she makes her campaign official, most likely in the next month or two. First, however, Mrs. Clinton is sending Mr. Mook and another staffer-to-be, Marlon Marshall, to Iowa on Wednesday to join Mr. Halle and Mr. Paul for a listening tour of their own with leading state Democrats, many of whom have been eager to pin down the former secretary of state’s intentions there.
First Draft provides fast-paced and comprehensive coverage of politics and elections by The New York Times. Come back throughout the day for the latest news and analysis, and be part of the political conversation.
Like it? Hate it? Have a tip for us? Send any and all feedback to firstdraft@nytimes.com.
We send out a newsletter around 7 a.m. eastern time each weekday that serves as a look-ahead to the day's political events and expected stories.
Sign Up
No comments:
Post a Comment