Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has announced his campaign team for the U.S. Senate – including some of the same individuals who have known him since his first race for attorney general in 1990. The campaign’s Hartford office is currently at the Democratic State Central Committee and will soon move to its own headquarters.
While Blumenthal has hired an extensive team, some political insiders say that the campaign manager for all of Blumenthal’s campaigns has been Dick Blumenthal.
The team is as follows:
Michael J. Cacace – campaign chairman. While not widely known to the general public, Cacace has led each of Blumenthal’s campaigns for more than two decades. A graduate of Fordham, he founded a law firm in Stamford that bears his name. Connecticut Magazine has named him among the top lawyers in the state on real estate and zoning matters. A former president of the Italian Center of Stamford and president of the United Way of Stamford, he has held a wide variety of volunteer positions through the years.
State Representative Jim Shapiro – vice chairman. A Stamford resident, Shapiro will oversee operations in the newly opened Stamford office and handle fundraising and legal issues.
Justin Kronholm – director of political operations. A Hartford native, he will oversee the office in the capital city – mainly handling political issues. Kronholm is best known from his previous job as the state Democratic Party’s executive director.
Liz Donohue – deputy director of operations and political affairs. A Farmington resident, she will work with both Kronholm and Shapiro on a variety of issues. A former deputy policy director for the state House Democrats, Donohue has experience in direct-mail and holds an MPA from the Kennedy School at Harvard.
Maura Downes – communications director. A former scheduler for John B. Larson’s 1994 gubernatorial primary campaign, Downes also worked on Larson’s first successful campaign for Congress – in which he defeated Miles Rapoport, Joe Suggs, and state Rep. James R. McCavanagh in a four-way Democratic primary in September 1998. Since then, she has worked for a wide variety of officials and candidates, including political consultant Roy Occhiogrosso.
Ashley Codianni – deputy communications director. Working directly with Maura Downes, she previously worked on NBC’s political desk in Washington, D.C. and served on msnbc.com’s political page, “First Read.”
Scott Bates – senior policy advisor. Well known for his television and radio appearances, Bates is the vice president at the Washington-based Center for National Policy and has made numerous trips to hot spots overseas.
Tom Kelley – director of new media. After working on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, Kelley was the deputy new media director for the unsuccessful 2009 reelection campaign of New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.
Ivy Mackin – finance director. A former finance director for U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney in the 2006 and 2008 campaigns, Mackin also served as a legislative assistant for Courtney in Connecticut and in Washington, D.C.
Melissa Ozols – scheduler. A former member of the House Democratic press office, she also held a policy post under former House Speaker James Amann.
Jeff Long – special assistant to the candidate, meaning that he will be Blumenthal’s driver. He has had internships with the DCCC in the 2006 campaign and in the Office of the President under President William Jefferson Clinton.
In addition to hiring these 11 individuals, Blumenthal is returning to the same media and political consultant that has helped him for two decades, known as The Campaign Group. The Philadelphia-based operation has been involved in more than 40 winning campaigns for Congress and governor, including well-known Democrats Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania.
While hiring that many people can be expensive, the campaign could not say how much money Blumenthal has raised or spent so far. The amounts, however, will be disclosed when Blumenthal files his first FEC report that is due on April 15.