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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:29:50 GMT
Ford is a longtime aviator and has crashed several times in the past. Last year, Ford broke his leg on the set of the upcoming Star Wars film - an injury that forced production into a brief hiatus.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:30:23 GMT
Top Vilsack adviser to run Hillary Clinton’s Iowa campaign
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:30:36 GMT
A top adviser to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, is leaving the Obama administration to manage Hillary Rodham Clinton's likely presidential campaign in Iowa, four Democrats familiar with the move said Wednesday.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:30:53 GMT
Matt Paul, an operative with more than two decades of political experience in Iowa, will return to the Hawkeye State to oversee Clinton's campaign for the first-in-the-nation caucuses, said the Democrats, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the move.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:31:08 GMT
A senior adviser to Vilsack since his 1998 gubernatorial campaign, Paul currently serves as director of communications at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Paul announced his resignation on Wednesday and plans to depart by the end of March, said a USDA official, who requested anonymity to speak about Paul’s plans.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:31:20 GMT
Other experienced Democratic operatives are in serious discussions to join Paul on the likely Clinton Iowa campaign staff
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:31:35 GMT
Lily Adams, currently deputy communications director at the Democratic National Committee and a former aide on Sen. Tim Kaine's 2012 campaign in Virginia, is poised to fill a top Iowa communications job for Clinton, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:31:56 GMT
Brenda Kole, who served as a senior adviser on Jack Hatch's Iowa gubernatorial campaign in 2014 and before that was director of advocacy and organizing for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, is slated to take a top political role on the Iowa team, the source said.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:33:33 GMT
The Clintons and the Vilsacks have long and deep ties, their relationship having been described almost as family. Hillary Clinton worked with Christie Vilsack’s brother on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate impeachment investigation.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:33:43 GMT
When Tom Vilsack ran for governor in 1998, Clinton appeared on his behalf at a fundraiser, which Vilsack recalled as one of the turning points in that campaign. Clinton also helped during his reelection campaign.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:33:58 GMT
As governor of Iowa, Vilsack looked to Bill Clinton for advice on how to be a governor after he was elected. The two are policy wonks in addition to being politicians.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:34:21 GMT
In addition to working with Vilsack, Paul also served as deputy Iowa state director for Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. He has close ties to retiring Sen. Tom Harkin, the state's most senior Democratic officeholder, having worked as campaign manager for Harkin's 2008 reelection.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:35:33 GMT
Paul began his career as a journalist, working as a television and radio reporter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before moving into politics in 1994 to serve as spokesman to then-Mayor Larry Serbousek.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:39:35 GMT
The appointment of Paul comes as Hillary Clinton -- the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic nomination -- is building out a campaign team ahead of her official launch, which is expected to come as early as April.
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Post by Josh Canfield on Mar 6, 2015 0:39:48 GMT
Clinton has filled many senior positions at national headquarters, likely to be in New York, including John Podesta as campaign chairman, Joel Benenson as chief strategist and Robby Mook as campaign manager. Clinton now is beginning to recruit staff in key states such as Iowa, where she struggled in her 2008 campaign and finished third in the caucuses behind Barack Obama and John Edwards.
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