Biden staffing up: Ian Moskowitz, Laura O’Neill heading former VP's New Hampshire campaign team
Former Shaheen, Hassan aides among Biden campaign first-in-nation state staffers
Former Shaheen, Hassan aides among Biden campaign first-in-nation state staffers
Five young but experienced political and policy pros are heading former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in the critical leadoff primary state.
WMUR has learned and first reported Thursday afternoon on Twitter that former New Hampshire Democratic Party Political Director Ian Moskowitz has been named state campaign director.
Moskowitz has more recently managed Steve Dettelbach's campaign for Ohio Attorney General and Peter Galbraith's gubernatorial campaign in Vermont. He also worked as a media consultant at AL Media.
Laura O’Neill, most recently a staffer in Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office, is deputy state director. She formerly was director of the New Hampshire state Senate Democratic Caucus political action committee and previously was involved in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
In other key hires:
-- Meira Bernstein, former press secretary in Sen. Maggie Hassan's office and most recently political communications director for Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, is the Biden campaign’s New Hampshire communications director.
-- Emma Riley, most recently associate press secretary in the office of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, is Biden’s New Hampshire press secretary. She previously was a regional organizing director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
-- Peter Dougherty, most recently Southern Regional Field Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has been named Biden’s New Hampshire organizing director. He previously managed a congressional campaign in Georgia.
The five hires were confirmed by a top Biden campaign source.
WMUR confirmed the New Hampshire hires shortly after the Biden campaign rolled out its top national staffers.
The national campaign manager is Greg Schultz, who was executive director of Biden’s American Possibilities political action committee and is a former senior adviser to Biden in the Barack Obama White House.
Two of three national deputy campaign managers have New Hampshire connections.
Kate Bedingfield, who is national communications director in addition to deputy campaign manager, was communications director for Shaheen’s 2008 U.S. Senate campaign, while Pete Kavanaugh was New Hampshire state director for Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
The source said Kavanaugh will be heavily involved in the New Hampshire campaign operation.
Biden announced his candidacy for president in a video early Thursday and will hold a kickoff event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. He will then campaign in Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and California before arriving in New Hampshire on May 13 for two days of campaigning.
He will wrap up his announcement tour May 18 with a rally in Philadelphia.