Edwards Announces Hawkeye State Staffers

Iowa Team Features Experienced Caucus and Campaign Staff

Des Moines, Iowa – Building on the momentum from Senator John Edwards' series of community meetings on health care with Iowa caucus goers last week, the campaign announced today the addition of key staff members in Iowa. The staff includes veterans of numerous campaigns, who have years of experience working in the caucuses.

“I am proud to have such a strong staff in Iowa to share my vision for America with caucus goers,” said Edwards. “I plan to campaign hard in Iowa and look forward to talking with Iowans about the big challenges facing our nation and how we can meet them together.”

The Iowa staff is led by State Director Jennifer O’Malley, who was Edwards’ Iowa Field Director during the 2004 caucuses. She most recently worked as campaign manager for Congressman Jim Davis' gubernatorial campaign in Florida. She has worked on numerous campaigns, including as Deputy Campaign Manager for Senator Tom Daschle's re-election campaign and Field Director for South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson's winning re-election campaign.


The Iowa staff includes:

Jackie Lee — Iowa Field DirectorLee returns to Iowa for her second caucuses having served as the North Central Iowa Regional Field Director for the Edwards for President Campaign in the 2003-04 cycle, and then as Field Director in Virginia and Florida. Most recently Lee served as Field Director for the Florida Democratic Party. Previously, she was Delaware State Director for the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities and for Americans United to Protect Social Security and served as the Field Director for the Oklahoma Democratic Coordinated Campaign.

Pat Maloney — Iowa Political Director
Maloney joins the campaign from 21st Century Democrats where he was National Field Director during 2006. Maloney, a native of Cushing, Oklahoma, worked as Political Director for the 2004 Oklahoma Democratic Coordinated Campaign. Maloney is returning to Iowa for his second time having previously organized southwestern Iowa for Edwards in the 2003-04 caucuses before working as Deputy Field Director in Oklahoma and Texas.

Matt McGrath — Iowa Trip Director
McGrath is a veteran of the Iowa caucuses, having organized parts of Southeastern Iowa for Edwards in 2003-04, and then continuing with the campaign in Tennessee and Ohio. He was South Carolina’s Coordinated Campaign Director in 2006. Prior to that, McGrath worked with New Hampshire Rep. Paul Hodes, helping to set up his successful campaign for Congress. In 2005, McGrath served as the Kentucky State Director for Americans United to Protect Social Security. McGrath served as a Regional Field Director for Anchorage for Tony Knowles’ U.S. Senate race in 2004.

Mark McCullough – Iowa Deputy Press Secretary
McCullough worked at the American Association for Justice as the Southern Regional Press Secretary. Prior to that, he handled media for the non-profit Washington Regional Transplant Consortium, a Donate Life organization. In the last caucuses, McCullough organized Iowa City and eastern Iowa for Edwards and later worked in Virginia and Florida. The Florida native has also worked on U.S. Senate campaigns in South Dakota and Oklahoma.

Zach Wineburg – Iowa Deputy Field Director
Wineburg, a North Carolina native, returns to Iowa after organizing northeastern Iowa for Edwards in the 2003-04 cycle before continuing with the campaign in Virginia and Georgia. Recently, Wineburg was the Kansas City Regional Field Director for the successful McCaskill for U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri. He previously worked at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

Chris Fields — Surrogate Trip Director for Iowa
Fields previously worked as a Field Organizer in Davenport for Edwards’ campaign during the 2003-04 caucuses. She most recently managed the successful re-election campaign of State Senator Beall. Fields, a seasoned Hispanic organizer, was the director of all Hispanic and bilingual educational efforts at D.C. ParentSmart, a Washington, D.C. based educational non-profit and as a Field Organizer for the South Carolina Democratic Party to elect Inez Tenenbaum to the U.S. Senate.

Melanie Muenzer — Iowa Operations Director
Muenzer is back in Iowa after having worked in 2006 for Congressman Leonard Boswell’s re-election campaign, a position sponsored through Senator Evan Bayh’s All-America PAC. In Chicago, she handled operations for a real estate title company. Prior to that, the native of Indiana worked extensively in 2004 on Governor Joe Kernan’s race.

Andy Zabel — Iowa Regional Field Director
Andy Zabel, a native of Humboldt, Iowa, graduated from the University of Iowa. Zabel’s campaign experience includes organizing for the Edwards for President Campaign in Iowa City and former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s 2004 re-election campaign in Rapid City, South Dakota. Most recently, Zabel was the Democratic Farmer Labor Party’s Coordinated Campaign Regional Field Director for the 8th Congressional District in Minnesota during the 2006 elections.

Chad Horrell — Iowa Regional Field Director
Horrell comes to the John Edwards for President Campaign with Midwestern experience having served as the Field Director for Brad Ellsworth’s successful campaign for the House of Representatives in 2006 in his home state of Indiana. Horrell also worked on Governor Tim Kaine’s campaign in Virginia in 2005. Other campaign experience includes various local and congressional races in Indiana, including time spent working for Senator Evan Bayh and the Indiana General Assembly.

Elizabeth Lucas — Iowa Regional Field Director
A native of Iowa, Lucas graduated from the University of Iowa with a background in sales and marketing. In 2006, Lucas was a field organizer for the Jim Davis for Governor campaign in Florida. In 2004, Lucas was the volunteer coordinator for MoveOn PAC in the Central Florida/Tampa Bay area before becoming the event coordinator for the Kerry/Edwards campaign in Pinellas County, Florida.

Pam Danielson — Iowa Regional Field Director
Danielson served as Deputy Finance Director for the Jim Davis for Governor campaign in Florida after managing the Arkansas campaign for Jay Martin for Lt. Governor. Previously, she spent two years as Regional Field Director and Deputy National Field Director for the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks working with Midwestern states including Iowa, Ohio and Indiana. Danielson was a Regional Field Director for Central Arkansas to elect Mark Pryor to the U.S. Senate before going to Louisiana to help re-elect Senator Mary Landrieu.

Jessica Jones — Iowa Regional Field Director
Jones joins the staff after clerking in the Iowa Senate for Senators Joe Bolkcom and Bill Dotzler. During the last caucuses, Jones worked as a field organizer for the Edwards for President campaign in Cedar Rapids. Jones was a Regional Field Director for Missouri Project Victory, electing Claire McCaskill to the U.S. Senate. Jones worked to elect Tim Kaine as Governor in Virginia in 2005 and as a field organizer for former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s 2004 re-election campaign in South Dakota.

I hope I get to meet them! Welcome to them from your neighbor in Illinois.