Dodd Adds Iowa Offices, Staff

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 584

From the inbox:

The Dodd for President campaign today announced the statewide leadership team that will head up Chris Dodd’s Iowa Caucus field campaign at the Des Moines headquarters and in regional offices throughout the state.

“This is a strong, energetic team that is taking Chris Dodd’s Iowa campaign to the next level,” said Iowa State Director Marc Beltrame.

“With their leadership in every part of the state, we can reach out to Iowa caucus-goers right in their communities and continue building a truly statewide organization from the grassroots up.”

The Dodd campaign’s Iowa field operation is overseen by Iowa Field Director Ben Rohrbaugh. Rohrbaugh came to the Dodd campaign following a successful run as the Field Director for Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle. He has previously served on Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s re-election campaign, the Christine Jennings recount in Florida, and the John Kerry campaign in Michigan.

David Joseph serves as the campaign’s Iowa Director of Voter Contact. Joseph most recently served as the DCCC’s Indiana Director of Finance and Voter Contact for the successful campaigns of Congressmen Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth, and Baron Hill. He previously served on John Kerry’s campaign in Michigan and Dick Gephardt’s Iowa Caucus bid.

Regional Field Directors will be establishing campaign offices throughout the state and coordinating local campaign and volunteer activities in their respective regions.

Northwest Iowa Regional Field Director:Mario Piscatella. Piscatella most recently served as Senior Advisor and Strategic Director for Pete Ashdown's U.S. Senate campaign in Utah.

Southwest Iowa Regional Field Director: Greg Neil. Neil has previously served as a Field Organizer for Indiana Congressman Baron Hill and Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle.

North Central Iowa Regional Field Director: John Yaggi. Yaggi has served on the campaigns of Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lunsford, Indiana Congressman Baron Hill, and Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle.

Polk County Regional Field Director: Justin Lindsay. Lindsay has previously directed field and coordinated field programs in Michigan, as well as working on the John Kerry campaign in Michigan and the Christine Jennings recount effort in Florida.

Waterloo-Mason City Regional Field Director: Rich Wilkins. Wilkins has previously served on several state and federal campaigns in Pennsylvania, as well as John Kerry’s presidential campaign in that state.

Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Regional Field Director: Ben Young. Young previously worked for Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry, as well as on the campaigns of Indiana Congressman Baron Hill and Arkansas Congressional candidate Jan Judy.

Northeast Iowa Regional Field Director: Kevin McTigue. McTigue previously served as a field coordinator for Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s re-election, Field Director for Virginia Delegate Vivian Watts, and Michigan Volunteer Coordinator for John Kerry.

Southeast Iowa Regional Field Director: Chris Bowen. Bowen, a native of Burlington, Iowa, most recently served as a Regional Field Director for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2006 coordinated campaign. He previously worked for Iowa Governor Chet Culver’s primary campaign and for the New Jersey Democratic Party.

Lots of Michigan and Kerry connections in this crew.

This is a pretty ambitious move, and appears to indicate that Dodd is going for broke before he...well...goes broke. He's likely to again show poorly when the current fundraising quarter ends June 30, and if he doesn't get something going here in Iowa between now and Labor Day, it's over. Here's wishing him luck. Dodd's got some good policy ideas on carbon emissions and civil liberties that should remain in the debate as we move toward the caucuses.