Elizabeth Warren beefs up Illinois primary presidential campaign; hires more staffers

WASHINGTON – Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign announced Sunday it is beefing up its paid political operation in Illinois with additional staff hires.

Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, was the first 2020 Democrat to set up a political organization in Illinois, hiring a state director this past summer and in November opening up a campaign office at 3948 N. Ashland Ave.

The Illinois primary is March 17, with 184 elected delegates up for grabs. If the states with the first presidential votes in February - Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada —do not yield clear front runners, the March states become more important in determining the nominee.

The Illinois state director, Steve Campbell, is a former political director for the Democratic state Senate political shop run by Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

“Our team has prioritized investing early and recruiting staff who could help build an infrastructure with a presence in communities across Illinois,” Campbell said in a statement. In all, the Illinois for the Warren campaign has 20 staffers, the campaign said.

The Illinois top staff additions are:

Organizing Director: Maggie Seppi, who was the New Hampshire organizing director for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand before the New York Democrat dropped her presidential bid.

Community Organizing Director: Jason Lee, who was the political director for United Working Families. He has been an advisor and field director for the Chicago Teachers Union.

Political Outreach Director: Tonantzin Carmona, who was a special assistant to the president of the Chicago Community Trust.

Training Director: Emma LaBounty, a Chicago political organizer.

Data Director: Daniel Curtis, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mobilization Director: Erica Sagrans, a digital strategy consultant.

In June, Warren was in Chicago for a town hall at the Auditorium Theater and a Rainbow PUSH Coalition conference. She returned to Chicago in October to support striking Chicago public school teachers and was back in November for another town hall at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway,