HDCC Hires Sims CM as Political Director

Matt Goldfine
Matt Goldfine

The House Democratic Campaign Committee filled a top staff position Friday. Its new Political Director Matt Goldfine managed freshman state Rep. Brian Sims’ (D-Phila) insurgent primary campaign in 2012.

He already has a raport with HDCC Chair Tim Briggs (D-Montco): he was the state Rep.’s Chief of Staff for several years.

“I’m very excited to have Matt on board,” said Briggs. “He brings great fundraising experience and a strategic vision to the table. We work very well together and his skills will definitely help complement everything we have planned for HDCC this cycle.”

Goldfine worked on State Sen. Daylin Leach’s (D-Montco) campaign in 2008. He will be split between HDCC, where he’ll help the committee with political outreach and recruitment in eastern Pa., and Briggs’s campaign.

Sims, the first openly gay person ever elected to the state legislature, narrowly defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Phila) last year. PoliticsPA named him to our list of political Rising Stars: Top 30 Under 30.

In other staff news, Ethan Smith is staying on as Executive Director for the 2014 cycle. Deputy Executive Director Marty Santalucia will also remain on board, as will Operations Director Matt Cleckner.

On the other side of the aisle, Chair Dave Reed (R-Indiana) and Executive Director Chad Weaver are staying in place at the helm of the House Republican Campaign Committee. Sheila Flickinger will remain Finance Director.

2012 Political Director Adam Maust moved on to GOP firm Red Maverick Media and 2012 Field Director Brian Rengert has taken his place. Deputy Political Director Josiah Frederick is now the Director Operations.

Weaver was a PoliticsPA Top Operative in 2012 and Rengert and Frederick were both named in the 30 Under 30.

2014 is a year of challenges for House Democrats, who didn’t shrink their 110 to 92 minority in the chamber in 2012.

The biggest challenge of all for HDCC isn’t Democrats or Republicans, it’s the Pa. Supreme Court. The state still awaits a final decision on the latest redistricted state House map. And although the Court is expected to uphold the most recent version, in the meantime it will be tougher to recruit candidates for seats that aren’t yet definitive.

An additional X-factor is PA-13. With lost of interest in Allyson Schwartz’s now open seat, HDCC will face a lot of competition for southeast Pa. donors who are being solicited by congressional contenders. One of the hopefuls is state Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Phila), who chaired HDCC in 2012.

10 Responses

  1. Nothing will change as long as the HDCC continues to hire losers. Too bad we don’t have a chance to take over the House but it’s not going to happen. I won’t give them anymore money…they need to win a few first.
    Time to support the SDCC- they won 3 seats!

  2. Goldfine will be a great addition to the HDCC. He’s young, ambitious and works incredibly hard. He’s a fantastic fundraiser.

  3. Ahhh, how I miss the good old days with Mike Veon calling the shots. Or, maybe he is?

  4. I’m with Nathaniel as long as Ethan Smith and Marty Santalucia are at the top nothing will be accomplished. As for Brian Sims sounds like one of the usual suspects to me. I was narrowly defeated by a 10 year incumbent, ran a kick-ass campaign with no help at all from HDCC how come no one has offered me a job? Because I am a woman and I don’t live in Philly, Pittsburgh, or Harrisburg that’s why. I live in the Poconos the land that HDCC has forgotten. Wake up good old boys your not winning with the same old strategy year after year!

  5. @PAVoter–Are you implying that Rep. Sims neglects, or former Rep. Josephs neglected to, “show up for work?” Please explain.

  6. Any chance Goldfine might use his connection to Brian Sims to get the new representative of the 182nd district to, you know, show up for work?

  7. I say this is good news. I trust Ethan has learned some lessons and under Tim’s leadership we should see a serious expansion of the field of candidates they look at. My hunch is they will start working on a farm team in the more red districts as they NEED to start making them more competitive. Marty is great to work with and I trust Matt will be too.

  8. @Nathaniel – It’s either that or so few people actually want the job that there was no one else.

  9. Hers is what I take from this story: HDCC is keeping the same lazy, moronic person, Ethan Smith, as its executive director despite an epic failure in a pro-Democratic presidential year. What are the leaders thinking? They’re rewarding failure. Who would want to support HDCC? Get real, Democrats. At least pretend you’re trying. Otherwise stop wasting our time and expecting us to invest in HDCC. We’re over it.

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