Matt Paul to Lead Hillary Clinton’s Iowa Caucus Campaign

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday afternoon that Matt Paul will run Hillary Clinton’s Iowa operations for the caucus. Paul was the communications director for Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack until today. Paul will return to his home state where he has long been involved in Iowa politics, government and campaigns. He has been a long-time close adviser to the Vilsacks throughout their careers. Brenda Kole is also expected to be a top adviser in the campaign’s political department. Kole worked on Clinton’s caucus campaign in 2007-8, and held top positions at Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and Jack Hatch’s gubernatorial campaign, along with running Monica Vernon’s congressional race in 2014.

In addition to what’s been reported by the Washington Post, Starting Line has heard from several sources that Troy Price, Grant Woodard and Brad Anderson may also be in the mix in Iowa Clinton discussions.

The move signals that the Clinton campaign is likely to start sooner rather than later in the lead-off state. Starting Line has heard of interviews and discussions with top Iowa Democratic campaign staff occurring over the past three weeks for potential spots in a Clinton operation. The window of opportunity for other presidential hopefuls to have the state to themselves is quickly running out, as a Clinton organization could quickly get off the ground in late March and April. While early reports suggested Clinton may hold out until July to begin campaigning, it’s become increasingly clear that an April start date is now more likely. Expect other names to emerge soon as key players in a Clinton caucus campaign.

by Pat Rynard
Posted 3/4/15

Photo by Greg Hauenstein. See more of his work at greghauenstein.com