Superstars headed to North Carolina

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:14:51 -0400

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are sending "superstars" to North Carolina.

The San Francisco Chronicle writes that Clinton's consultant, Averell "Ace" Smith, and Obama's consultant, Craig Schirmer, are California operatives with impressive track records.

Smith led Clinton's successful efforts in the California and Texas primaries, while Schirmer helped Obama win in South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Smith's plan: "A real aggressive campaign" aimed at highlighting Clinton's readiness "to lead on day One" and outreach to voters in every precinct.

Schirmer's: Helping voters get to know Obama and getting them to the polls. "We're a big believer in strong grassroots operations."

Based on those rather vague remarks, Dome expects to see Clinton heading to rural areas, particularly around military bases, and Obama concentrating on the urban areas where GOTV can turn out big numbers.

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.