Kerry Campaign Adds Veteran Strategists

WASHINGTON - John Kerry (news - web sites) is adding some of the Democratic Party's most experienced strategists to his team for the stretch drive against President Bush (news - web sites), including hometown allies from Boston and top advisers of former President Clinton (news - web sites).

Michael Whouley, the Boston operative who helped salvage Kerry's candidacy in Iowa, is returning to the Democratic presidential campaign to help strengthen Kerry's state-by-state political organizations and to provide general strategic advice. Cahill said he had held similar jobs in the past three Democratic presidential campaigns.

Doug Sosnik, a political adviser in the Clinton White House, has joined the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) as a general strategist. As titular head of the party, Kerry has placed aides in key positions at the DNC.

_ Regena Thomas, secretary of state in New Jersey, will help the DNC's voter turnout operation.

_ Jack Corrigan, who looked out for Kerry's interests at the Democratic Convention in Boston, will join the DNC's legal team.

_ Marcia Hale, director of intergovernmental affairs in the Clinton White House, will help the DNC coordinate the activities of senior Democrats campaigning on Kerry's behalf.

_ Gerry Salemme, former chief of staff to Rep. Edward Markey (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., has joined the campaign as Cahill's deputy to help with day-to-day operations.

_ Bill Lynch, former deputy mayor of New York, is a deputy campaign manager helping Kerry reach out to black voters.

On Election Night in 2000, Whouley was among the first strategists to recognize that then-Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites) was closing the gap on Bush in Florida, and sent word that the candidate should not concede. Bush won the presidency more than a month later, when the Supreme Court stopped a recount in Florida.

In 2003, when Kerry decided to focus his ailing campaign in Iowa, he asked Whouley to travel the state and help John Norris finish putting a precinct-by-precinct organization together. Kerry won Iowa's caucuses, and Norris now heads the campaign's national "field" operations — its state-by-state organizing effort.

A liberal interest group that has aired some of this year's harder-hitting ads against Bush will begin running a commercial Tuesday imploring the president to condemn an ad by a Republican-funded interest group that claims Kerry lied about his war record.

The new ad by MoveOn.org's political action committee also contends that Bush "used his father to get into the National Guard and when the chips were down went missing."

Bush served stateside in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. It is unclear from the record what duties he performed for the military during part of 1972 while working on a U.S. Senate campaign.

MoveOn's ad, costing a modest $200,000, will run for a week in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, the same states where Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ran the anti-Kerry ad. The veterans group is funded in part by Bob J. Perry, a Houston homebuilder and Republican donor. The group operates independently from Bush's campaign.

Nevertheless, MoveOn's ad contends that Bush is "allowing false advertising" that criticizes Kerry, and it says, "George Bush, take that ad off the air."

Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman, said the counter-ad was just the latest example of the "extreme" group launching "baseless attacks that use facts made up out of thin air."

Princella Smith, of Wynne, Ark., will address the Republican National Convention after winning an essay contest sponsored by the convention and MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign to encourage young people to vote.

Smith, 20, is majoring in history and political science at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. She has been recognized for her involvement in community programs to help young people and for teaching black history programs to those in her community.

In addition to her speech to the convention on Aug. 31, Smith will be trailed by MTV cameras as part of its coverage of the GOP convention, which opens Aug. 30 in New York City.

Republicans want to appeal to young voters with their convention program, but Bush trails Kerry among young adults, according to polls.

http://www.state.nj.us/governor/cabinet/thomas_bio.html

New Jersey
Department
of State
Regena Thomas
Secretary of the
New Jersey
Department
of State

Swearing in Ceremony
Regena Thomas was sworn in as New Jersey's 31st secretary of state by Governor James E. McGreevey on January 15, 2002. Charged with the promotion and preservation of the arts, history, and culture of the Garden State, Secretary Thomas brings a community conscious approach to public policy that she honed during her distinguished 20-year career as a public servant. She is recognized throughout the country as a strategist and organizer, and pledged to utilize her extensive experience to help build the broad-based coalitions, public-private partnerships and innovative programs necessary to strengthen and advance the state's cultural resources and empower the working families of New Jersey. One of only a handful of African-Americans to hold the post nationally, she brings a unique blend of grassroots activism, political acumen, steadfast determination, and personal integrity to the Department of State and its mission to enrich the quality of life throughout New Jersey through the arts, history, and culture of the state.

In her official capacity, Secretary Thomas is responsible for one of the premier departments of state government. She oversees the Department of State's operating agencies consisting of: Archives and Records Management; the Center for Youth Policy and Programs; the New Jersey Historical Commission; the New Jersey Historic Trust; the New Jersey State Council on the Arts; the New Jersey State Museum; the New Jersey Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission; the New Jersey Commission on American Indian Affairs; the Governor's Office of Volunteerism; and the Trenton War Memorial.

Prior to her state service Secretary Thomas served as a partner at IEM Message Management, Inc., a voter contact firm specializing in grassroots organization and voter education. She served as a consultant to the Democratic Governor's Association and is the former Director of Base Vote Operations for the Democratic National Committee. In that capacity, Thomas served as the principal liaison to non-governmental organizations and key Democratic constituencies, directing a twenty-person staff and multi-million dollar budget.

In addition to her national service, Secretary Thomas has served in various roles in state and municipal government. She served for six years in the government of the District of Columbia as Deputy and as Director of Constituent Services respectively. Her municipal service also extends to her Kentucky roots. From 1980-1985, Thomas served as one of the first African-American Legislative Analysts on the Legislative Research Commission for the Kentucky State Legislature, mediating community concerns and managing state legislative priorities.

No stranger to New Jersey politics, Thomas has served in three election cycles in New Jersey: Corzine for Senate in 2000, McGreevey for Governor, 1997, and Torricelli for Senate in 1996. For 12 years, she worked for the National Rainbow Coalition and its founder, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, during his historic bids for the presidency in 1984 and 1988.

A native of Clinton, Kentucky, Secretary Thomas holds a B.A. in University Studies from Morehead State University

Inventing the "Knock and Drag," Thomas was able to encourage more individuals to vote for Jesse Jackson, which led to a winning campaign in Kentucky. The "Knock and Drag" was the practice of visiting people's homes and encouraged them, based on who's best to vote for.

http://www.expositorymagazine.net/regena_thomas.php

Expository Magazine - Volume 2, Issue 4 - Published Thrice Yearly

Profile of a Latina New Jersey Politician: Regena Thomas

by Stephanie Nolasco

When she was fourteen-years-old and in the seventh grade, Regena Thomas didn't know what a library was. She certainly didn't know that she would become the future secretary of New Jersey, a state in which she had never lived. Now, standing at six feet, this dynamic woman with a hearty exemplifies how experiences can inspire a person to become involved in the complicated world of politics. At a press conference held on August 12, 2003, at the New Jersey State house, Thomas shared these experiences with students attending a summer journalism program at Princeton University.

From accepting a basketball scholarship to exploring a future career in politics, Thomas never knew how important life experiences would create a backbone for her future decisions as a minority woman. "All my life, I faced misunderstandings and my life experiences didn't prepare me for what was to come," she told the audience.

Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas accepted a basketball scholarship at Morehead State University. Despite being skilled at basketball, Thomas didn't want to solely dedicate herself to sports; however, an athletic scholarship was the only way she would have the opportunity to attend college. Wanting to expand on her education, she transferred to Kentucky State University. Eventually, she made the decision to transfer back to and graduate from Morehead, where she felt more at home. Tired of the typical setting of a student, Thomas wanted to tackle another field that would open more doors for her. Because of this decision, she began to become involved within the political arena.

Thomas started her early years in politics as an assistant to a state senator from Kentucky. She learned the power of negotiation and communication among residents within the state. She also worked with her idol Jesse Jackson on a tour. During this tour, she also realized that "African-Americans didn't care much about voting."

Inventing the "Knock and Drag," Thomas was able to encourage more individuals to vote for Jesse Jackson, which led to a winning campaign in Kentucky. The "Knock and Drag" was the practice of visiting people's homes and encouraged them, based on who's best to vote for. Not only did this method encourage more voters, but it also gave the opportunity for others to become exposed to politics. Creating more awareness in politics for others, Thomas was eventually granted the most important role of her life: Secretary of State in New Jersey. She was granted this position not long after Jackson won his campaign in Kentucky.

As Secretary of State, Thomas created a literacy program that encourages young children to discover the world of reading in a joyful environment. "My responsibility is to help reading and bring it to life," she said, with a gleam in her eye. She also devotes herself to funding organizations and museums dedicated to the arts.

Thomas believes that female minorities should team up and work together. "We have more common ground," she said. She sees a Latina Vice President in the future. Most importantly, Thomas claims that all minorities have opportunities to expand within society. These goals cannot be accomplished without recognition of life's experiences. "Understanding your past helps you deal with the future," she said.

Thomas proves to be an inspiration for female minorities who dare to dream. The girl who never knew what a library was became the woman who is now secretary of a state in which she had never resided. Thomas' remarkable example should encourage women never to give up on their aspirations.

Copyright © 2003 Stephanie Nolasco

Copyright © Expository Magazine, 2004. All rights reserved.

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