Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 24, 2019

California Democratic Party Executive Director Chris Masami Myers Joins Mike Bloomberg 2020 as California State Director

SACRAMENTO, CA – Mike Bloomberg 2020 announced today that Chris Masami Myers will join the campaign as California State Director. Chris joins the team after serving as Executive Director of the California Democratic Party, a position he’s held since December 2018. He was previously Executive Director of the California Democratic Party from 2015-2017, overseeing the 2016 presidential primary, and has also worked as Research Director and Managing Director of the state Party. In July of 2017, Chris was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as Chief Deputy Director of the California Workplace Development Board.

“There is simply no one in California today who can rival Chris’ knowledge of our state’s politics and nominating process. We are incredibly lucky to have Chris lead our efforts in California, where one in nine national delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday,” said Kyle Layman, California Senior Advisor for Mike Bloomberg 2020. “We are building the strongest state operation in California primary history, and I’m proud to welcome him to our team.”

Mike Bloomberg 2020 has hired now more than 200 initial hires in more than 20 states across the country with more to come. In California, the state with the most delegates, the campaign has already hired more than two dozen staffers, less than four weeks from the campaign’s launch. These staffers are deployed across the Golden State, and the campaign will further expand its footprint in California in the months ahead of Super Tuesday.

“I am incredibly proud of the work we have done to build a more inclusive and robust California Democratic Party – and I know that the foundation we laid will serve California Democrats for years to come,” said Chris Masami Myers. “Despite California’s diversity and its impact on our national conversation, past presidential campaigns have taken us for granted. Mike is the candidate that Democrats need to beat Donald Trump in November, and I’m proud to join a campaign that reflects our values and that will take Mike Bloomberg’s message to every corner of California.”


Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2019

Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter Named National Political Chair for Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 Presidential Campaign

New York, New York – Today, Mike Bloomberg 2020 announced that former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has been named National Political Chair to the campaign. Mayor Nutter served as the Mayor of Philadelphia for two terms from 2008-2016, and prior to that spent nearly 15 years on the Philadelphia City Council. He also served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 2012-2013.

Mayor Nutter will advise the campaign on policy development and strategy, and serve as a national surrogate on behalf of the campaign, recruiting key voices to join the campaign and traveling to field offices and events, speaking to constituents and press about why Mike Bloomberg is uniquely qualified to unite and rebuild the country at a time when it is more divided than ever.

“Mike Nutter knows that real leadership means delivering results for the people you serve, and I’m honored to have his support,” said Mike Bloomberg. “We share a belief in the power of government to unite people and get big things done. Mike was an innovative mayor who made one of America’s biggest cities stronger and safer, and I’ve always appreciated his candor and counsel. While all the other Democratic candidates are focused on other states, we are building a campaign that can win critical battleground states — including Pennsylvania — and we are excited to have Mike on our leadership team.”

The announcement comes ahead of Mike Bloomberg’s visit to Philadelphia on Saturday to open the first field office in Pennsylvania.

“Mike Bloomberg is my kind of leader,” Mayor Nutter said. “He cares about the drug crisis, gun violence, the environment, and access to high-quality healthcare for all Americans. But more than that – he’s proven he can get things done on these issues for decades — as an entrepreneur, mayor and through his philanthropic efforts. Mike is a man with a plan. He’s a doer. He won’t let us down.”

During his mayoral tenure, Mayor Nutter lowered crime, improved educational attainment rates, made Philadelphia the greenest city in America, and attracted new businesses and residents to the city. He led an ethical and transparent government focused on providing high quality, efficient, and effective customer service. He brought the homicide rate down to a 50-year low, boosted high school and college degree rates, added hundreds of miles of bike lanes, launched the first low-income friendly bike share system in the country, and actively recruited businesses to open in Philadelphia. As President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he strengthened federal-city relationships and promoted the development of effective national urban policy.

In 2011, Esquire magazine named Mayor Nutter to its Americans of the Year list and later in 2014, he was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine. During his tenure, Philadelphia received more than 150 awards for innovative programs, good government practices, and excellence.

Since leaving office, Mayor Nutter has remained active in public policy, civic engagement, education, and government across the country. He has been tapped by academic institutions to serve in a number of leadership and fellowship capacities including Columbia University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. In 2019, Mayor Nutter was tapped to serve on the Board of Directors of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Council on Criminal Justice, and the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.


Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2019

Mike Bloomberg 2020 Announces Robust State Operation

Initial Team of More Than 200 Staff Represents an Unparalleled State Structure with More to Come

New York, New York – December 20, 2019 – Mike Bloomberg 2020 announced today an experienced, robust field operation in more than 20 states across the country.

The initial team of more than 170 staff embedded in states, supported by the headquarters team, will engage voters across the country while focusing on the delegate-rich March primary contests and beyond.

“As he did at his company and in government, Mike Bloomberg excels at bringing together the best teams to challenge convention and innovate,” said Kevin Sheekey, Campaign Manager for Mike Bloomberg 2020. “The impressive team we’ve built across the country will help us connect with voters and make Mike’s case against President Trump everywhere.”

“We’ll be competing with teams on the ground in more states at once than any campaign in history,” said Dan Kanninen, States Director for Mike Bloomberg 2020. “Our seasoned team has deep ties in all corners of states throughout the country.”

In keeping with Bloomberg’s commitment to defeating President Trump, the former New York City Mayor has pledged to keep staff in key states through the 2020 General Election to support the Democratic Party.

The state teams are currently building campaign and field operations across the country and will continue to add new staff and operations in additional states in the coming weeks.
Current key leadership of the states operation includes:

Headquarters

  • Mitch Stewart, Senior Advisor on Campaign Strategy
  • Dan Kanninen, States Director
  • Cassandra Henry, Deputy States Director
  • Will Dubbs, Deputy States Director
  • Rob Diamond, East Regional Director
  • Hans Goff, Central Regional Director
  • Katie Ingebretson, West Regional Director
  • Daniel Ensign, National Operations Director
  • Megan Simpson, National Organizing Director
  • Gabe Amo, East Regional Deputy Director
  • Brandon Davis, Senior Advisor
  • Monica Guardiola, National Training Director
  • Sarah Hummell, National Training Consultant
  • Tien Nguyen, Regional Scheduling Director
  • Sarah Callaway, East Regional Operations Director
  • Aisha J. McClendon, Central Regional Constituency Director
  • Erin Phillips, Regional Organizing Director
  • Jacqueline Ridberg, Regional Organizing Director
  • Charlotte Steel, Analyst
  • Caitlin Graff, Analyst
  • Bryce Lacy, Analyst
  • Savannah Shepard, Assistant to the State Director

Arkansas

  • Milton Ezell, State Director

Arizona

  • Luis Acosta, State Director
  • Joseph Wolf, Senior Advisor

California

  • Kyle Layman, Senior Advisor
  • Marcelo Gaete, Senior Advisor
  • Drew Godinich, Communications Director
  • Lys Mendez, Southern CA Communications Director
  • Christine Turner, Director of Strategic Initiatives
  • Michael Buckley, Communications Advisor
  • Margo Brown, Operations Director
  • Nazli Parvizi, Director of Community and Partner Engagement
  • MaryAnne Pintar, Regional Political Director

Colorado

  • Debbie Willhite, Senior Advisor
  • Ray Rivera, Senior Advisor
  • Melanie Knaus, Political Director

Georgia

  • Howard Franklin, Senior Advisor

Illinois

  • Kara Highfill, State Director
  • Tom Bowen, Senior Advisor
  • Julie Kaviar, Communications Director
  • Briana Collins, Operations Director

Maryland

  • Jason Waskey, Senior Advisor
  • Travis Tazelaar, Senior Advisor

Maine

  • Michael Cuzzi, Senior Advisor

Michigan

  • Michael Kurtz, State Director
  • Jamaine Dickens, Senior Advisor

Missouri

  • Grant Campbell, State Director
  • Ryan Hawkins, Senior Advisor
  • Roya Mossoudnia, Organizing Director

Mississippi

  • Pamela Shaw, State Director
  • Brad Chism, Senior Advisor

North Carolina

  • James Mitchell, State Director
  • Justin Vollmer, Senior Advisor
  • Robin Briendel, Organizing Director
  • Tariq Smith, Political Director
  • LaToya Evans, Communications Director
  • Alexis Hebert, Digital Director
  • Heidi Walker, Operations Director
  • Katie Hendrickson, Political Director

New York

  • John Calvelli, State Director
  • David Allard, Organizing Director
  • Marian Sereno, Operations Associate

Ohio

  • Aaron Pickrell, Regional Advisor / State Director
  • Andrew Buis, Organizing Director
  • Meredith Tucker, Communications Director
  • Christine White, Operations Director
  • Jada Campbell, Political Associate

Pennsylvania

  • Kevin Kinross, State Director
  • Michael Berman, Senior Advisor

Tennessee

  • Courtney Wheeler, State Director
  • Carol Brown Andrews, Senior Advisor
  • Ashford Hughes, Political Director
  • Holly McCall, Communications Director
  • Rodriquez Wright II, Organizing Director
  • London Lamar, Outreach Director
  • Spencer Bowers, Digital Director

Texas

  • Dr. Carla Brailey, Senior Advisor

Virginia

  • Lise Clavel, Senior Advisor
  • Michelle Moffit, Organizing Director

Wisconsin

  • Jorna Taylor, State Director
  • Thad Nation, Senior Advisor
  • Tim Mahone, Senior Advisor
  • Brita Olsen, Political Director
  • Maura Tracy, Organizing Director

Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2019

Mike Bloomberg Campaign Opens Tennessee Headquarters

Nashville, Tennessee — Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg visited Nashville today to open the Tennessee headquarters for his 2020 campaign. The office is the campaign’s first field office in Tennessee.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Bloomberg sat down for coffee prior to the opening. They discussed highlights from Bloomberg’s health care policy that he released earlier in the day.

The Nashville headquarters is located in Saint Cloud Corner at the corner of 5th Avenue on Church Street. Twelve staffers are focusing on building campaign and field operations across the state of Tennessee, with a staff that will continue to grow in the coming weeks.

“Unfortunately, of all 50 states, Tennessee has one of the highest rates of uninsured Americans. We’ve just got to do something about that,” said Bloomberg at the office opening. “This is a country that is wealthy, this is a country that we think is compassionate. And to leave people without the ability when they don’t feel well to go to a doctor, or if there is something really wrong to get treatment, is just something that we should never tolerate. This morning in Memphis, I announced a health care plan which I think is practical, I think has a decent chance of getting it through Congress, because if you don’t have those two things it’s just pie in the sky and we’re wasting our time and it’s just hot air.”

Bloomberg announced his new health care policy in Memphis, outlining achievable reforms that will increase access to coverage and reduce costs for all Americans. Bloomberg will create a public insurance option, similar to Medicare, that everyone will be able to enroll in.

“The Affordable Care Act was actually a major achievement that took us in the right direction, and President Obama deserves an awful lot of credit for that,” said Bloomberg. “But now we have to finish the job, and we have to make sure that every person in America has access to coverage and affordable care.”

Tennessee is one of several key states voting on Super Tuesday. Bloomberg is leading a uniquely national campaign to win the Democratic nomination and defeat President Trump in November. The campaign will continue to open field offices across the country in the next few weeks.

Bloomberg’s Tennessee team will be led by State Director Courtney Wheeler. Wheeler is a veteran political strategist in the state and was the campaign manager for Karl Dean’s gubernatorial run last year.


Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2019

Mike Bloomberg Campaign Opens North Carolina Headquarters

First Field Office in the Country Located in CharlotteMike Bloomberg Visits Charlotte, North Carolina for the Opening of the First Mike2020 Field Office

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA — Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is in Charlotte today to open the North Carolina headquarters for his 2020 campaign. The Charlotte office is Bloomberg’s first field office in the country.

North Carolina is a crucial state in the 2020 election and one of the five states where the campaign has committed to registering 500,000 voters from traditionally underrepresented groups. 

In keeping with Bloomberg’s commitment to defeating President Trump, the former New York City Mayor has pledged his support to keep the office and staff through the 2020 General Election to support the Democratic Party. 

“To defeat Donald Trump in November, the Democratic nominee needs to win pivotal swing states like North Carolina – but right now, he’s running unopposed in them,” said Mike Bloomberg. “We’re changing that status quo by taking the fight directly to him and putting down roots in swing states across the country – starting with our first state headquarters in Charlotte.”

“I welcome Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Charlotte as he opens his first state campaign office in the country,” said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. “I’m happy he chose to focus on North Carolina and specifically the Queen City for such an important milestone in his presidential run, as he’s already done so much for our community.”

Bloomberg’s North Carolina team will be led by State Director and Charlotte At-Large City Councilman James ‘Smuggie’ Mitchell. 

The headquarters are located in the Uptown neighborhood of Charlotte. Nearly two dozen staffers are focusing on building campaign and field operations across the state of North Carolina, with a staff that will grow appreciably in the coming weeks.


Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 25, 2019 

Journalist and Author Timothy O’Brien Named Senior Advisor for Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 Presidential Campaign

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Mike Bloomberg 2020 announced that award-winning journalist and author Timothy L. O’Brien has been named Senior Advisor to the campaign. O’Brien was previously the executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion, has held positions with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and HuffPost, is the author of the biographyTrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, and is a frequent guest and political analyst on national TV programs.

O’Brien will advise the Bloomberg campaign on strategy, policy, and messaging, and serve as a surrogate. He will highlight why Mike’s record as a business owner, mayor, and philanthropist makes him the candidate best-equipped to bring Americans together and defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election – and the candidate who is everything Trump isn’t. O’Brien will play a key role in the campaign’s strategy to bring the fight to Donald Trump in battleground states now, and not wait for the primaries to be over.

O’Brien has written regularly on all aspects of Trump’s political and business dealings since 1990 – as an author, as a reporter for the Times, and as a columnist for Opinion – and is uniquely positioned to speak to the checkered realities of Trump’s career and the threat he poses to American values and national security. O’Brien’s columns about the Trump presidency, dating back to 2015, have won multiple awards, including recognition from SABEW, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Deadline Club. Trump sued O’Brien in 2006, claiming TrumpNation unfairly represented his finances and career. Trump lost.

Prior to joining Bloomberg Opinion in 2013, O’Brien was the executive editor of the HuffPost where a series he edited on wounded war veterans received a 2012 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Previously, O’Brien edited the Sunday Business section of the New York Times. He first joined the Times as a reporter in 1997. He helped oversee a team of Times reporters that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service for coverage of the 2008 financial crisis. The Times series that emerged from that work, “The Reckoning,” was also a winner of a 2009 Loeb Award for Distinguished Business Journalism.

O’Brien has also worked for Talk Magazine and National Geographic. In addition to TrumpNation, O’Brien is the author of Bad Bet: The Inside Story of the Glamour, Glitz and Danger of America’s Gambling Industry and The Lincoln Conspiracy. He has a B.A. cum laude in literature from Georgetown University, an M.A. in U.S. History from Columbia University, an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, and an MBA from Columbia University. He has lived and worked in Europe, South America, and Asia.