This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 3, 2009 - U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., will headline the Saturday night banquet at this weekend's Democrat Days, the closest Democratic equivalent to the GOP's Lincoln Days. Meanwhile, she announces on Tuesday three new staff members; two replace those who've joined the administration of President Barack Obama.
Democrat Days, held annually in Hannibal the first weekend in March, is the first of a series of Democratic regional events annually held around the state over the next four months. That contrasts with the state Republican Party's Lincoln Days, which floats between the three major cities in the state. Otherwise, Republicans hold local Lincoln Day dinners.
(The state Democrats have sought to duplicate the Lincoln Days big-name-speaker banquet by holding the annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in St. Louis County, a fairly new tradition that has been financially lucrative for the state Democratic Party. That dinner has been held in the spring, and usually has some nationally well-known Democrat.)
Back to Democrat Days. Because it's the first of the regional events, Democrat Days traditionally is the state party's equivalent of New Hampshire. A candidate pondering or announcing a statewide run usually kicks it off in Hannibal.
That appears to be true this year. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the only announced Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, is speaking at the Saturday brunch. (She's also hosting her family's traditional early-morning continental breakfast buffet at the hotel.)
Gov. Jay Nixon is the main speaker at the Saturday brunch.
Local Democrat Days organizers say that McCaskill's selection to headline the Saturday night banquet underscores her prominence in the Obama presidency, since she was among his early and most-public supporters/defenders.
Such status has boosted McCaskill's Washington profile. But it also apparently has done the same for several of her original staff members, who now have joined the Obama administration.
Here's McCaskill's announcement Tuesday of her top new hires:
New Chief of Staff, Julie Dwyer, "joins the McCaskill team from Representative Bob Etheridge’s (D-NC) office where she served as Chief of Staff for over 10 years, managing 18 staff members and overseeing a range of policy initiatives. Previously, she has worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Department of Commerce. Dwyer is replacing Sean Kennedy, who managed McCaskill’s office for the last two years and was recently appointed as Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs to President Obama."
New Legislative Director, Stephen Hedger, "will serve as chief policy advisor to McCaskill while also overseeing the senator’s legislative staff. He has worked for McCaskill for two years, advising her on defense issues related to her position on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He also covered foreign relation and veterans issues. Hedger previously worked on the House side as military advisor to Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY) and Madeleine Z. Bordallo, the Congressional delegate from Guam. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Hedger has served in Iraq, Kuwait and Kosovo and remains in service as a member of the Army National Guard. He is replacing Chani Wiggins, the new Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security."
New Media Coordinator, Sam Drzymala, will "serve as New Media Coordinator. He will be part of the communications team, helping with website design, video production, and e-newsletters. A St. Louis native and graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Drzymala previously worked for Obama for America and several private media firms in Washington, D.C."
