Presidential election key staffers, 2020
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The following charts show key national campaign staffers and their political experience for each candidate's presidential campaign. Key staffers include campaign managers, policy directors, finance directors, national press secretaries, senior advisers, and related positions. These staffers are responsible for directing the campaign messaging, policy and research, digital and local outreach, and fundraising efforts of the campaign.
The list of campaign staff has been curated from the websiteDemocracy in Action andBallotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing.
If you are aware of staffers that should be included, pleaseemail us.
Click on any of the following links to jump to that candidate's campaign staff list:
- Joe Biden (D)
- Howie Hawkins (G)
- Jo Jorgensen (L)
- Donald Trump (R)
Campaign staff in context
Campaign staff plays an important role in the presidential primaries. The makeup of a candidate's staff can signal the strength of their support from influential party activists and whether they are aligning with a particular faction or group within the party. Eric Appleman ofDemocracy in Action describes candidates' efforts to hire staffers as a "race for talent, both nationally and in key early states." He adds, "The goal is to assemble a team of top talent that can work together effectively to mobilize resources, boost the candidate and his or her message, and ultimately secure the party's nomination."[1]
Presidential candidates will typically have a national staff, which is overseen by a campaign manager and assisted by political consultants, senior advisors, professional polling firms, and key stakeholders such as interest group leaders and major financial supporters. They also build organizations in individual states that are overseen by state directors and staffed by party activists and political professionals well-versed in the particular politics of the area. Candidates often appoint elected officials and other important figures in their party's coalition as chairs of their national campaign and state-level campaigns.[1]
Joe Biden (D)
| Joe Biden presidential national campaign staff, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Jennifer O'Malley Dillon | Campaign manager | Campaign manager, Beto O'Rourke for President of the United States, 2020 | @jomalleydillon |
| Kate Bedingfield | Deputy campaign manager and communications director | Vice president of communications, Monumental Sports & Entertainment | @KBeds |
| Pete Kavanaugh | Deputy campaign manager | President of Revolution Field Strategies | @petekavanaugh |
| Rufus Gifford | Deputy campaign manager | Finance director, Barack Obama for President of the United States, 2012 | @rufusgifford |
| Natalie Quillian | Deputy campaign manager | Partner and principal, Boston Consulting Group | N/A |
| Zeppa Kreager | Chief of staff | Director, Creative Allliance at Civic Nation | @ZeppaKreager |
| Anita Dunn | Senior advisor | Managing director, SKDKnickerbocker | N/A |
| Greg Schultz | General election strategist and senior advisor | Executive director, American Possibilities PAC | @schultzohio |
| Symone Sanders | Senior advisor | Strategist and CNN political commentator | @SymoneDSanders |
| Cristóbal Alex | Senior advisor | President, Latino Victory Project | @CristobalJAlex |
| Brandon English | Senior advisor | Senior advisor, GPS IMPACT | @brandonenglish |
| Julie Chavez Rodriguez | Senior advisor | Co-national political director, Kamala Harris for the People | N/A |
| Karine Jean-Pierre | Senior advisor | Political analyst, MSNBC; chief public affairs officer, MoveOn | @K_JeanPierre |
| Erin Wilson | Political director | State director, Sen.Bob Casey | N/A |
| Kurt Bagley | National organizing director | National field director,Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee | @kurt_bagley |
| Jamal Brown | National press secretary | Consultant, Civic Advisors | @JTOBrown |
| TJ Ducklo | National press secretary | Senior communications director, NBC News | @TDucklo |
| Remi Yamamoto | Traveling national press secretary | Communications director,Fred Hubbell forGovernor of Iowa, 2018 | @RemiMYamamoto |
| Saloni Multani | Chief financial officer | Venture partner, Congruent Ventures | N/A |
| Deanna Nesburg | Senior advisor for financial operations | Treasurer, Kamala Harris for the People | N/A |
| Katie Petrelius | National finance director | Director of development, Biden Foundation | N/A |
| Rob Flaherty | Digital director | Digital director, Beto O'Rourke for President of the United States, 2020 | @Rob_Flaherty |
Howie Hawkins (G)
| Howie Hawkins presidential national campaign staff, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Andrea Mérida Cuéllar | Campaign manager | Former chairman, Green Party of the United States | @andreamerida |
Jo Jorgensen (L)
| Jo Jorgensen presidential national campaign staff, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Joe Hauptmann | National campaign chair | Former chairman, Libertarian Party of Indiana | @JoeHauptmann |
Donald Trump (R)
| Donald Trump presidential campaign national staff, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Bill Stepien | Campaign manager | Senior political advisor,Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2020 | N/A |
| Jeff DeWit | Chief operating officer | Chief financial officer, NASA | @JeffDeWitAZ |
| Stephanie Alexander | Chief of staff | Midwest political director,Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2020 | @SAlexanderOK |
| Lara Trump | Senior advisor | Strategic planning and digital communications coordinator,Donald Trump's campaign committee, 2017 | @LaraLeaTrump |
| Bob Paduchik | Senior advisor | Co-chair,Republican National Committee | @Paduch |
| Katrina Pierson | Senior advisor | National spokeswoman,Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016 | @KatrinaPierson |
| Bill Shine | Senior advisor | White House deputy chief of staff for communications | N/A |
| Kimberly Guilfoyle | Senior advisor | Vice chairwoman,America First Action | @kimguilfoyle |
| Jason Miller | Senior advisor | Managing director, Teneo Strategy | @JasonMillerinDC |
| Chris Carr | Political director | Political director,Republican National Committee, 2016 | N/A |
| Tim Murtaugh | Director of communications | Director of communications, U.S. Department of Agriculture | N/A |
| Cole Blocker | National finance director | Deputy director, White House Visitor's Office | N/A |
Campaign staff size
The following chart shows the approximate number of paid Democratic presidential campaign staffers nationwide or in certain states, in January and February 2020.
| Democratic presidential campaign staff size, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Reported | Approximate number of staffers |
| Joe Biden | Feb. 1, 2020 | 490 staffers (nationwide)[2] |
| Michael Bloomberg | Feb. 12, 2020 | 2,400 staffers (nationwide)[3] |
| Pete Buttigieg | Jan. 1, 2020 | 500 staffers (nationwide)[4] |
| Amy Klobuchar | Feb. 11, 2020 | 77 staffers (Nevada), 55 staffers (South Carolina)[5] |
| Bernie Sanders | Feb. 1, 2020 | 900 staffers (nationwide)[2] |
| Elizabeth Warren | Jan. 25, 2020 | 1,000 staffers (nationwide)[6] |
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.1Democracy in Action, "Building Campaign Organizations (2019)," accessed May 10, 2019
- ↑2.02.1Politico, "Behind Bernie’s rise: A $50 million spending surge — and more where that came from," February 1, 2020
- ↑WMUR, "Bloomberg launches presidential campaign operation in NH," February 12, 2020
- ↑The New York Times, "Pete Buttigieg’s Campaign Says It Raised $24.7 Million in the Fourth Quarter," January 1, 2020
- ↑CNN, "Buttigieg source says early results predict it'll be a good night," February 11, 2020
- ↑The Wall Street Journal, "Democratic Hopefuls Look Ahead to Super Tuesday Contests," January 25, 2020
