New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand makes senior Iowa hires ahead of 2020 caucuses

Kirsten Gillibrand's presidential exploratory committee has hired two senior Iowa staffers as the New York senator continues to build out a campaign infrastructure ahead of Iowa's 2020 caucuses.

Lara Henderson, who was the finance director for Fred Hubbell's 2018 gubernatorial campaign, will serve as Gillibrand's Iowa state director, according to the committee. Previously, Henderson worked as a field organizer for President Barack Obama, a campaign manager for Brad Anderson’s 2014 secretary of state race and finance director for Patty Judge’s 2016 U.S. Senate primary.

Rachel Irwin will serve as Gillibrand's Iowa communications director and as an adviser for early state communications. Irwin was the Midwest press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2018 election cycle. She previously worked as a senior associate at A|L Media in Chicago and as communications director for the Maine Democratic Party in 2014.

"We are proud to build on the momentum of Sen. Gillibrand’s first trip to Iowa and announce strategic hires that will help us be successful in the 2020 caucuses," Gillibrand's communications director, Meredith Kelly, said in a statement. "Sen. Gillibrand is excited to build out a robust team with deep roots and experience in the state. She can’t wait to get back to Iowa to continue having conversations and sharing her values in the months ahead.”

Gillibrand made her visit to Iowa as a potential 2020 candidate earlier this month, attending events in Sioux City, Boone, Ames and Des Moines.

At each stop, Gillibrand emphasized her history representing conservative upstate New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and told Iowans the experience would help her relate to rural and red-state Democrats in a 2020 presidential election.

Gillibrand has made a name for herself as a leader on #MeToo issues and, in the Senate, has focused on curbing sexual assaults in the military and on college campuses. In Des Moines, she spoke to attendees of the Women's March at the state Capitol building, where she urged unity over what she described as Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to divide the country based on race, religion and cultural differences.

With two dozen or more Democrats expected to enter the presidential primary, candidates are aggressively courting experienced Iowa staffers out of a concern they'll be scooped up by competitors.

► 50 Most Wanted: The Democrats who will help shape the 2020 Iowa caucuses

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who was the first top-tier Democrat to formalize her exploratory committee on Jan. 31, quickly named four veteran Iowa staffers to her leadership team.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who is expected to run for president, has also begun finalizing a roster of senior Iowa staffers he would hire, should he enter the race.

Others, like Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, have yet to enter the race but have added Iowa talent to their leadership PACs. Brown's America Works PAC has hired Margaret Jarosz to coordinate his coming Iowa tour.

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