Nick Clemonsby: Judy ReardonThu Jun 05, 2008 at 10:33:43 AM EDT |
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The other day Kathy Sullivan mentioned in a comment on another diary Nick Clemons' fantastic track record this year with Hillary Clinton, and I woke up this morning thinking Nick deserves a stand-alone diary.
After Nick successfully ran Hillary's campaign in New Hampshire, he was tapped to run New Jersey, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota, all tough states, all wins. Nick is not a self-promoter, so he doesn't get the credit he deserves for being one of the best political operatives in the business today. In addition to being an expert on field and getting out the vote, Nick's developed into a darn good stategist. And he's a leader. I saw his leadership abilities first hand in 2003 when he was the field director for John Kerry's New Hampshire primary campaign. In the very dark months of August through November 2003, when the outside world thought Kerry's candidacy was doomed, Nick kept his young field staff motivated to press on. I first met Nick in early 1997 when he began working as a constituent services staffer in Jeanne Shaheen's Governor's office. Being able to see Nick develop his skills and advance these last 12 years has been one of the pleasures in this very tough and often heart-breaking business. I'm really proud to be able to say I knew Nick when he was just starting out. |