Starting Line will be tracking the Iowa staff of every 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. We’ll include candidates’ national staff only if they have a very specific Iowa connection or background. Part of each person’s past campaign experience will be listed under their name (I’m still filling in some of this – it’s taking a while).
We will have to make a cut-off at some point when it comes to who all we list. We won’t keep track of every field organizer on here, but will try to give a sense of how large each candidate’s field team is.
*Updated 8/18/19 – We haven’t fully kept up with this list since August, so consider it unofficial at this point.
Michael Bennet
Brian Peters, Iowa State Director
Mitch Schwartz, Deputy Press Secretary
Garrett Stephens, Iowa Political Director
Camilo Vilaseca, Iowa Field Director
Carson Turner, Iowa Regional Field Director
*Bennet has 20 Iowa staffers as of mid-October
Joe Biden
Jake Braun, State Director
Obama national deputy field director
Jesse Harris, Senior Advisor
LS2 Group, IDP Coordinated Campaign Director
Adrienne Bogen, Organizing Director
Julia Krieger, Communications Director
Lucas Oglesbee
Iowa Democratic Party
*Biden has about 75 total staff in Iowa as of mid-August, around 60 of which are part of their field team (we’re behind on getting their leadership team updated)
Cory Booker
Mike Frosolone, Iowa State Director
Iowa House Democrats director
Haley Hager, Iowa Director Of Operations
Next Gen Iowa state director, Wendy Davis campaign
Sarah Sterner, Iowa Organizing Director
Ohio organizing director, Clinton 2016 caucus campaign
Zach Bernstein, Deputy Iowa Organizing Director
Matthew Lee, Iowa Data Director
Next Gen Iowa
Tess Seger, Iowa Deputy Communications Director/Press Secretary
IDP communications director
Francesca Lucia Iowa Political Director
Deputy campaign manager for Cindy Axne
Caroline Closson, Regional Organizing Director
Iowa House Democrats deputy director
Jacob Hamblin, Regional Organizing Director
Ohio Coordinated Campaign RFD
Adam Henderson, Regional Organizing Director
Iowa House Democrats campaign manager
*Booker has about 50 total staff in Iowa as of mid-August.
Steve Bullock
Megan Simpson, State Director
Montana coordinated campaign director
Jeremy Busch, Communications Director
Fred Hubbell press secretary
Nick Marroletti, Organizing Director
Connecticut Democratic Party, Clinton Caucus Campaign
Jack Segal, Political Coordinator
Alexandra Cleverley, Political Coordinator
Maeton Jameson, Regional Organizing Director
Tom Orabuena, Regional Organizing Director
Patrick Eisenhauer: Data Director
Jacqueline Ridberg: Deputy Organizing Director
Edward York: Regional Organizing Director
Mike Hegarty: Regional Organizing Director
Pete Buttigieg
Brendan McPhillips, Iowa State Director
Andrew Gillum primary campaign manager
Casey Clemmons, Deputy State Director
IDP GOTV director, Clinton caucus organizer, Gillibrand caucus director
Ben Halle, Communications Director
Communications Director for Planned Parenthood
Kevin Groh, Organizing Director
Stacey Abrams GOTV Director
Julie Stauch, Political Director
Iowa political consulting, campaign management
Bailey Romans, Deputy Political Director
Hillary Clinton caucus campaign 2016, IDP regional field director
Lala Xu, Data Director
J.B. Pritzker campaign
Matt Harrison, Operations Director
NextGen
Sydney Throop, Outreach Coordinator
Reason To Believe PAC
Sara Goldstein, Regional Organizing Director
Obama Administration
*Buttigieg had about 60 Iowa staff in total as of mid-August.
Julian Castro
Cynthia Sebian-Lander, Iowa State Director
Deidre DeJear campaign manager
Marika Bresler, Iowa Organizing Director
Next Gen Iowa field director, Jason Kander organizing director
John Delaney
Brent Roske, State Director
*Delaney has about 20 staff as of mid-August.
Kamala Harris
Will Dubbs, Iowa State Director
Pennsylvania coordinated campaign director, Clinton 2016 caucus Sioux City regional director
Deidre DeJear, Iowa Campaign Chair
2018 Iowa Secretary of State candidate
Zack Davis, Iowa Senior Advisor
Barack Obama campaign, Next Gen state director, Let America Vote state director
Nora Walsh-DeVries, Political Director
John Norris campaign manager, Need To Vote outreach director, Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign
Miryam Lipper, Communications Director
Tim Kaine press office
Sharon Yang, Press Secretary
Erin Phillips, Field Director
Pennsylvania coordinated campaign, RFD in Virginia, Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign
*Harris added 9 regional organizing directors in Mid-May, has about 65 staff as of mid-August.
Amy Klobuchar
Lauren Dillon, Iowa State Director
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Deputy Director, DNC Research Director
Andrew Nelson, State Organizing Director
IDP Canvass Director, Iowa House Truman Fund Field Director
Courtney Rice, Press Secretary
North Dakota Dem-NPL Press Secretary, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Deputy Press Secretary
Jamie Woods, Political Director
Chair of Iowa Black Caucus, Phyllis Thede and Ako Abdul-Samad campaigns
Andrew Larabee, Iowa Deputy Organizing Director
Barack Obama field organizer, John Hamilton Bloomington, IN campaign
Alli Peters, Iowa Digital Media Manager
Dean Phillips congressional campaign
*Klobuchar has 40 total Iowa staff as of mid-August.
Beto O’Rourke
Norm Sterzenbach, Iowa State Director
Former IDP executive director, Iowa political consultant
Margaret Jarosz, Caucus Director
D’Alessandro for Congress campaign manager, Hubbell deputy campaign manager, Sanders 2016 campaign
Cyrus Shick, Organizing Director
Missouri Democratic Party coordinated campaign director
Caroline Grey, Deputy Caucus Director
Civis Analytics, DNC, Barack Obama 2012 campaign
Geoff Burgan, Communications Director
Andrew Gillum campaign communications director
Frances Swanson, Press Secretary
NextGen Iowa
Danya Rafiqi, Press Assistant
Eric Giddens Campaign, Senate Majority Fund
Chris Hall, Political Director
State Representative from Sioux City
Alex Freeeman, Deputy Political Director
Tim Gannon, Martin O’Malley, Bruce Braley campaigns
Jennifer Fiihr, Operations Director
IDP, Tom Harkin, OFA
*O’Rourke 45 total Iowa staff as of mid-August.
Bernie Sanders
Misty Rebik, Iowa State Director
Cathy Glasson campaign manager, One Iowa, Planned Parenthood
Evan Burger, State Caucus Director
CCI Senior Organizer, Sanders 2016 campaign
Tony Anthony, Deputy Caucus Director
Sanders 2016 deputy caucus director, DC Attorney General Karl Racine campaign
Michael Fasullo, Field Director
Cathy Glasson campaign, ran Chicago city council race, Pennsylvania state legislative campaign
Abshir Omar, Iowa Political Coordinator
Roger Oullette, Communications Director
Cathy Glasson campaign, Sanders 2016 campaign
Joe Fahey, Iowa Scheduler and Operations Coordinator
Iowa Democratic Party, Pete D’Alessandro Congressional Campaign
Brooke Adams, Deputy Field Director
Organizing Director of Student Action, Bernie 2016 Organizer
Alex Lio, Regional Field Director
Jumaane Williams for NYC Public Advocate, Stacey Abrams for Governor, Cynthia Nixon for Governor
Pete D’Alessandro, Senior Advisor
Congressional candidate, Sanders 2016 state campaign coordinator, Vilsack and Culver administrations
Jessica Vanden Berg, Senior Advisor
Christie Vilsack campaign manager, IDP, Jim Webb campaign manager, Tulsi Gabbard chief of staff
*Sanders has about 50 total Iowa staff as of mid-August.
Elizabeth Warren
Janice Rottenberg, Iowa State Director
Iowa coordinated campaign director, Hillary Clinton caucus campaign
Emily Parcell, Iowa/National advisor
Barack Obama campaign, Iowa political consulting
Brendan Summers, National advisor
Barack Obama campaign, IDP caucus director
Kane Miller, national advisor
Abby Finkenauer campaign manager, Hillary Clinton caucus campaign
Daniel Wasta, Political Director
State Treasurer’s office, state senate campaigns manager
Tova Yampolsky, Deputy Political Director
Hillary Clinton 2016 caucus campaign
Jason Noble, Communications Director
Des Moines Register chief politics reporter, Let America Vote communication director
Kevin Liao, Iowa press secretary
Juliana Amin, Iowa Organizing Director
Hillary Clinton caucus campaign, Terry McAuliffe
Rachel Cowell, Iowa Deputy Organizing Director
IDP RFD, Clinton caucus campaign
Chelsea Carrier, Iowa Deputy Organizing Director
Fred Hubbell Deputy Field Director, IDP RFD, Clinton caucus campaign
Dan Bram, Voter Contact Program Director
Bobby Bauch, Training Director
Emma Welsh-Huggins, Digital Director
Alex Barbieri, Data Director
Hanna Haddad, Deputy Data Director
Alex Abrahams, Deputy Data Director
Sophia Passacantando, Digital Press Assistant
Karla Galvan, Digital Programs Manager
John Russell, Rural Outreach
Past Ohio congressional candidate
Roy Pagans, Regional Political Director
Trent Seubert, Regional Political Director
Jon Jarmon, Regional Political Director
Sam Slaton, Regional Political Director
Stephanie Medina, Regional Political Director
*Warren has about 65 total Iowa staff as of mid-August.
Marianne Williamson
Andrew Yang
Rob Bingham, Iowa State Director
Al Womble, Iowa Campaign Chair
3rd District Democrats chair
Former Candidates
Eric Swalwell
Eddie Alvarez, Iowa State Director
*Had started to build a field team
John Hickenlooper
Sam Roecker, Iowa Advisor
Patty Judge campaign manager, Iowa campaign consultant
Ferguson Yacyshyn, Iowa Caucus Director
IDP field director
Kimberely Boggus, Iowa Political Director
Polk County Democrats activist, NextGen Climate
Kirsten Gillibrand
Lara Henderson, Iowa State Director
Fred Hubbell finance director, Brad Anderson campaign manager
Rachel Irwin, Communications Director
DCCC Midwest press secretary
Casey Clemmons, Iowa Caucus Director
IDP GOTV director, Clinton caucus organizer
Haley Barbour, Political Director
Fred Hubbell deputy finance director
Andrea Nemecek, Iowa Organizing Director
Arizona Democratic Party, J.B. Pritzker campaign, Iowa Democratic Party
Jesse Brooks, Deputy Organizing Director
Andrew Janz for Congress (CA-22) Field Director, Michele Smith for Alderman (Chicago) Deputy Campaign Manager
Ashly Banta, Deputy Political Director
Former Polk County Democrats Vice Chair
Lucy Westerfield, Deputy Communications Director and Policy Advisor
Field Organizer, Iowa Democratic Party
Stef Monson, Data Director
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
Maya Bentley, Digital Organizing Director
Nevada Democratic Party Organizer, Organizing Corps 2020 Application Selection Specialist
*In addition to headquarters staff, Gillibrand has a field team of five regional organizing directors and about 20 field organizers. Overall, they have 35 staffers on the ground in Iowa as of mid-August.
Photo by Lauren Johnson
Reminder: Iowa Starting Line is the only site keeping track of all these. If you appreciate this service, please go donate to help us continue operating.