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Join NowRun Warren Run Effort Announces New Iowa Field Team, Opening of Des Moines Campaign Office
National Campaign Professionals and Obama Alums Also Join Effort Encouraging Elizabeth Warren to Run for President
DES MOINES, IOWA — In an expansion of the Run Warren Run effort in Iowa, MoveOn.org Political Action is announcing the hiring of Blair Lawton as the campaign’s Iowa field director and the hiring of four other field organizers. The group also announced the opening of a campaign office in Des Moines.
The announcement comes less than one month after more than 100 Iowans met in Des Moines to kick off the Run Warren Run effort in the state. Nationwide, more than 240,000 Americans have signed on to support the growing campaign, which is being run by MoveOn and Democracy for America.
Blair Lawton, who will lead Run Warren Run on-the-ground organizing efforts in Iowa, is a native of Western Iowa and a graduate of Morningside College in Sioux City. Lawton served as 2014 get-out-the-vote director for the Alaska Democratic Coordinated Campaign and as a regional field director for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign in Iowa.
“As a native Iowan, I know first-hand how critical a role the Hawkeye State plays in shaping our presidential contests, and I’m excited to join hundreds of thousands of Americans who are energized by Sen. Warren’s progressive economic vision,” Lawton said.
Lawton will work out of MoveOn’s new Run Warren Run campaign office, which will open before the end of the month at 419 SW 8th St in Des Moines.
“Blair is a disciplined organizer and manager with a strong record of commitment to developing volunteer leadership and running successful grassroots campaigns,” explained Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action. “With a year until the Iowa Caucuses, we’re ready to show Sen. Warren that she has the grassroots support necessary to mount a successful campaign, and thousands of Iowans are ready for her vision of giving everyone a fighting chance.”
MoveOn has also hired four Iowa-based regional field directors to support the Run Warren Run effort:
- Adam Beaves, an Ankeny, Iowa native who recently worked on the Pat Murphy for Congress campaign and has worked in the Iowa House of Representatives and for the campaign of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and President Obama’s re-election;
- Susana Cervantes, who has worked for the White House, Organizing for America, the United Farm Workers, and the Nevada Coordinated Campaign;
- Beth Farvour, who recently organized with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the Mary Burke for Governor campaign;
- and Margaret Jarosz, a Milwaukee native who worked on the Wendy Davis for Governor campaign and as a campaign manager for a Wisconsin State Assembly candidate, and who volunteered with the campaign to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and with President Obama’s re-election campaign.
At the national level, MoveOn has also brought on experienced progressive campaign professionals Tom Swan and Adam Ruben to serve as senior advisors to the campaign. Swan managed Ned Lamont’s successful campaign to beat Sen. Joe Lieberman in the 2006 Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut; he is currently the executive director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group. Ruben, a consultant to progressive organizations, is the former Political and Field Director for MoveOn and ran MoveOn’s massive field campaigns to elect Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. He was previously national field director for U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Additionally, MoveOn has retained the services of Revolution Messaging, FitzGibbon Media Inc., and Art Not War to assist in the Run Warren Run effort.
Scott Goodstein, who was External Online Director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, founded Revolution Messaging in 2009. Revolution Messaging is providing digital strategy, video and design support for Run Warren Run; their team includes Arun Chaudhary, who served as the first White House Videographer and as the New Media Road Director on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and Tim Tagaris, who served as Digital Director on Sen. Chris Dodd’s presidential campaign in 2007 and created the Service Employees International Union’s new media department. Revolution Messaging’s Shauna Daly, who served as deputy research director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and Walker Hamilton, site architect for Obama for America in 2008, are also advising on strategy for Run Warren Run.
FitzGibbon Media, whose founder and President, Trevor FitzGibbon, served as Communications Director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign in New Hampshire and whose Managing Director, Doug Gordon, has worked on Presidential, House and Senate campaigns, will be serving as the lead communications firm for the Run Warren Run campaign.
Art Not War, led by former MoveOn National Creative Director Laura Dawn and co-founders Daron Murphy and David Ambrose, will organize artists, produce cultural events, and create video content for Run Warren Run.
In December, more than 81 percent of voting MoveOn members opted to launch this effort to encourage Elizabeth Warren to run for president, citing her continuous efforts to fix a rigged political and economic system that is failing America’s families. Democracy for America members voted to join the effort shortly after MoveOn’s announcement.
On Saturday, MoveOn and Democracy for America members will hold an event launching the Run Warren Run campaign in New Hampshire, where Run Warren Run will also assemble an on-the-ground operation.
The Run Warren Run campaign website and launch video at RunWarrenRun.org focus on telling the story of the Massachusetts Senator, who has become known as a tireless, passionate advocate for giving all Americans a fighting chance in an economy rigged in favor of big banks and corporate interests. MoveOn and Democracy for America have pledged to invest at least $1.25 million into the effort.
WATCH THE LAUNCH VIDEO HERE: https://moveon.org/rwr/?v=1#
CHECK OUT THE CAMPAIGN WEBSITE HERE: www.RunWarrenRun.org
For more information, or for interviews with a MoveOn.org representative, please contact press@moveon.org.