Advertisement NH Primary Source: New Hampshire state director leaves Buttigieg campaign Campaign says exit of Michael Ceraso will have no impact on operations Share Shares Copy Link Copy

(New Hampshire Primary Source is a regular feature of WMUR.com on Thursday mornings, with regular updates throughout the week.)PARTING WAYS. The New Hampshire campaign manager for presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has left the campaign after three months on the job.Although specific reasons for the departure of Michael Ceraso were not disclosed, the campaign was quick to point out that the development will not stop what it views as growing momentum in the Granite State for the South Bend, Indiana, mayor and a vibrant ground organization.The campaign told WMUR it was a mutual decision. Ceraso could not be reached for comment.WMUR political director Adam Sexton first reported on Ceraso’s departure on Twitter. The Buttigieg campaign released a statement to WMUR from national campaign manager Mike Schumuhl."We are grateful to Michael for setting up our New Hampshire operation and helping us scale up to nearly 40 staffers in just a few months. Our New Hampshire team will continue to grow as we execute our plan to compete in the state.“We will soon be announcing additional staff who will continue to help spread Pete's message that he is the one who can tackle our country's most pressing challenges with real solutions.” For now, New Hampshire operations will be overseen by Jess O’Connell, who was recently brought on as a senior adviser focused on all early voting states, the campaign said. It was unclear if a new New Hampshire-only campaign director will be hired or promoted from within.O’Connell is the former executive director of the Democratic National Committee and the EMILY’s List political action committee. She was the national operations director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and had a senior role at the Center for American Progress.The campaign said she has been on the ground in New Hampshire “working with our team to ensure we have the most impact possible and all of the staff and resources that we need to win the first-in-the-nation primary.”WMUR first reported on Ceraso’s hiring on May 6. In the 2016 campaign, he was a staffer on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign as deputy New Hampshire director and then state director in California. In 2012, he was deputy field director in the Granite State for then-President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.