The Des Moines Register reports that Teresa Vilmain, perhaps the top political operative in Iowa, is replacing JoDee Winterhof as Iowa state director for Hillary Clinton. Vilmain had been working for Tom Vilsack's presidential campaign before he dropped out. Winterhof will now be a senior strategist for the Clinton campaign in Iowa. She commented:
“The significance of the change is bringing on someone at Teresa's level, with her level of experience and history in the state and history with the caucuses,” Winterhof said in an interview. “That is one more piece of evidence of how serious Senator Clinton is taking this campaign, how serious our effort here in Iowa is.”
Nate Willems comments at MyDD that Vilmain is in the same league as John Norris, who ran John Kerry's campaign in Iowa last cycle. Willems adds,
the idea is that Hillary Clinton has made the one big hire that has the potential to turn her campaign around in Iowa. I don't know if Vilmain can do for Clinton what Norris did for Kerry, but if I were working for either Obama or Edwards in Iowa today, my paranoia level would have just gone through the roof.
Clinton has been lining up the support of some big Vilsack donors as well, including Bill Knapp and most recently Jerry Crawford.
Why these smart Democrats can't see that Hillary would be a disaster for us in down-ticket races (not just in Iowa, but in much of the country) I don't know, but I am not feeling paranoid at all.
In fact, I am glad that expectations for the Clinton campaign will now rise.
What is her excuse going to be if she comes in a distant third on caucus night now?
(Probably that Iowans are sexist, but I hope the MSM won't buy that line. Iowa Democrats are not sexist. We have nominated two women for governor and at least five for U.S. representative.)
I urge all Iowa supporters of the other presidential candidates to redouble your efforts to GOTV for the candidate of your choice. We have the opportunity to derail the Clinton inevitability train. Let's not waste it.
4 Comments
Behind the curtain
I think all these operatives behind the curtain have little impact on who actually wins the caucus. Can someone explain to me how knowledge of Iowa caucuses will motivate voters to show up? All this focus on who works for whom seems like a bunch of pointless gossip.
Maybe it's just because I never heard of Teresa Vilmain before. Obviously she was no help to Vilsack's chances.
iowavoter Tue 5 Jun 10:43 PM
I agree
The best consultants in the world can't save a campaign unless several other factors break the candidate's way.
I do think that John Norris was an outstanding steady hand in charge of Kerry's Iowa effort. During the summer and fall of 2003, there were so many terrible polls for Kerry. Norris told his field organizers not to panic and to keep lining up precinct captains. The field organizers told the precinct captains not to panic and to keep getting supporter cards signed. He kept the machine running, and that organization was (in my opinion) the main reason why Kerry edged out Edwards in the caucuses.
But momentum was breaking Kerry's way for many reasons toward the end of the campaign, and John Norris was not in control of most of those.
desmoinesdem Tue 5 Jun 11:08 PM
You're right, you don't know Vilmain
I worked for her on a major campaign in Iowa, and she knows the state like few other politicos. Give her a strong candidate (unlike Vilsack), and she can take them a long ways. I'm no Hilary fan, but this is a MAJOR coup for the HC campaign.
In answer to your question, an operative who knows what makes Iowans decide to brave a cold caucus night to back a candidate, and who also can organize and herd thousands of wild cats at once, can make a huge difference. Believe me, every campaign wanted her badly, and for very good reason.
iowaexpat Wed 6 Jun 11:45 PM
well, obviously Vilmain is an asset to any campaign
I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't prefer to have her running the Edwards campaign.
At the same time, Hillary is so well-known, and so flawed as a candidate, that I don't think even the very best staff will be able to win Iowa for her.
The volunteer armies supporting Edwards and Obama will certainly have their work cut out for them, though.
desmoinesdem Thu 7 Jun 6:31 AM