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Biden Adds 4 Senior Staffers in PA

Two weeks after former Vice President Joe Biden announced his initial two hires for the Pennsylvania operation, his campaign announced on Thursday morning the addition of four more staffers to senior positions. 

First reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Biden campaign has brought in Larry Hailsham Jr. as the state’s Political Director; Michael Feldman as the state’s Communications Director; Nandi O’Connor and the state’s Coordinated Digital Director; and Amy Dorra to serve as the Deputy Coordinated Political Director.

All four new hires have political ties to the Keystone State. 

Hailsham, a Pittsburgh native, served as Special Assistant to Sen. Bob Casey and was the Western Political Coordinator for Casey’s successful 2018 Senate campaign. He most recently served as the Government Affairs Manager for the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. 

Feldman, a Philadelphia native, held communication roles on Sec. Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign in Pennsylvania. In addition to serving in communications roles for the Clinton campaign in the state and other progressive organizations, he was the DSCC embed and state party spokesperson for Sen. Joe Donnelly’s (D-IN) unsuccessful re-election bid in 2018. Feldman’s most recent role was serving as the deputy communications director for Protect Our Care, an organization dedicated to defending the Affordable Care Act. 

O’Connor, a lifelong Philadelphian, served as the Pennsylvania Content Producer for Priorities USA. She most recently served as Digital Director for Organizing Together 2020 PA, where the Biden campaign said she had the “opportunity to create and build digital infrastructure across the state in the midst of COVID-19.”

Dorra, a California native and Philadelphia transplant, worked on both of Rep. Conor Lamb’s successful campaigns in the old 18th District and the new 17th District, that the Allegheny County Democrat still represents. Other roles in the past include serving as the Campaign Manager for Virginia State Delegate Kaye Kory’s re-election and on the Organizing team for Alabama Senator Doug Jones’ Special Election in 2017. Dorra’s most recently served as Political Director for Early States for Presidential candidate Andrew Yang. 

These four hires join Brendan McPhillips, who is serving as the State Director, and Sinceré Harris, who is the campaign’s Senior Advisor in Pennsylvania. 

The Republican National Committee and the Trump Victory effort named Brittney Robinson the Pennsylvania Director in May 2019. 

Both presidential campaigns have made multiple visits to the state in the past few months.

On July 9, both Vice President Mike Pence and former Vice President Joe Biden made visits to the state. Pence’s day began in Lancaster and ended in Philadelphia speaking at F.O.P. Lodge 5, while Biden delivered an economic address in Scranton and made a pit stop at his childhood home

Prior to those most recent visits, Biden made four separate appearances in Pennsylvania during the month of June, while Pence made a visit to western PA in mid-June.

President Donald Trump’s most recent appearance in the state was when he spoke for 30 minutes at a medical equipment distribution center in the Lehigh Valley in mid-May.

The most recent polling show a tight race between the former VP and Trump in the Keystone State, although Biden currently has a narrow edge. 

The Real Clear Politics average shows Biden ahead of Trump by 6.6 points in Pennsylvania.

7 Responses

  1. The Biden team needs to ramp up voter registration. Covid, lockdowns and social distancing have reduced the normal level of voter registration. Team Biden needs to devote significant resources to bring in new voters.

      1. therealGulagPittsburgh-

        Because it’s easier to win with fewer voters on your side?

  2. That’s good, need to run up the margins in PA since Trump’s team has decided to just use smear tactics.

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