Chelsea Schneider

Chelsea.Schneider@indystar.com

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has tapped a young but experienced politico to serve as the director of her Indiana campaign.

Peter Hanscom will assume the role of state director where he’ll build a campaign operation to organize Clinton’s efforts in Indiana ahead of the May 3 primary, according to an announcement Wednesday.

Most recently, Hanscom served as leader of a business initiative called Indiana Competes that pushed for an expansion of civil rights protections for gay and transgender Hoosiers during this year’s legislative session.

His appointment comes amid growing activity by presidential campaigns ahead of Indiana’s primary. Fellow Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has launched offices in the state, and the campaign for Republican candidate John Kasich is hiring an Indiana-based political consultant.

Clinton, who is a former U.S. Secretary of State, is taking “absolutely nothing for granted” and is “planning to compete in every state,” Hanscom said. She currently boasts a delegate lead over Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, as the two vie for the Democratic nomination.

“A lot of folks around the country will be looking at the choices that Hoosiers make on our primary election day,” Hanscom said.

Hanscom said Clinton will focus on building a statewide campaign, and he expects the number of endorsements from key elected officials in the Democratic Party to grow.

Before Indiana Competes, Hanscom worked as a deputy campaign manager for Freedom Indiana, a group that also pushes for LGBT rights in the state. He’s also served as an outreach director of U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly and political director of the Indiana Democratic Party.

Clinton was in Carmel last year for a fundraiser in the home of Cindy Simon Skjodt, daughter of the late shopping mall developer Melvin Simon.

IndyStar reporter Tony Cook contributed to this story.