Clinton, Obama name N.C. teams

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:42:59 -0400

The Democratic presidential campaigns for Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have named their North Carolina state directors as both teams gear up for the May 6 primary.

Clinton's campaign has tapped Ace Smith to run North Carolina operations. He held the same post in the California and Texas primaries. He previously ran the campaigns for California Attorney General Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mark Johnson reports.

Craig Schirmer, who managed Democrat Erskine Bowles' unsuccessful 2002 U.S. Senate campaign in North Carolina, will return to lead Obama's team in the state. Schirmer served as state director for Obama in Wisconsin and played a lead role during the South Carolina primary.