From the Mark Warner for Senate reelection campaign:
Mark Warner Announces Key Campaign Hires
Alexandria, VA – Senator Mark Warner announced today that he has hired senior campaign staff as he prepares to launch his 2020 re-election campaign to the United States Senate.
At the helm of the campaign team is campaign manager Bruce Sinclair. Under his leadership, Alice Tong will serve as deputy campaign manager, Kate Waters will serve as communications director, Marcelene Sutter will serve as digital director, Lauren Reyes will serve as the coordinated campaign director for the Democratic Party of Virginia, and Tonya James will serve as the field director for the Democratic Party of Virginia.
The campaign will continue to expand their operation in the coming months.
About the hires:
Bruce Sinclair, Campaign Manager
Bruce Sinclair is a political strategist with over a decade of experience electing Democrats in battleground states. Most recently, Sinclair served as Senator Tim Kaine’s coordinated campaign director for his successful re-election bid in 2018. In 2016, he served in GOTV leadership for the Florida Democratic Party after managing day to day activities on a NextGen Climate Action coalition building program for three years. Previously, he worked for Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe as the coordinated campaign director in the 2010 re-election effort and deputy director in 2006. He ran the GOTV Operation for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in New Mexico in 2008 and served as field director on Tim Kaine’s successful gubernatorial bid in 2005. Bruce holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two daughters.
Alice Lin Tong, Deputy Campaign Manager
Alice Lin Tong is a veteran of Virginia politics who most recently served as the political director for Senator Tim Kaine’s re-election campaign in 2018. In 2014, Tong was the Northern Virginia political director on Senator Mark Warner’s campaign. She also worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, as well as Chris Van Hollen’s successful bid for Senate and Jim Moran’s successful campaign for Congress. She is a graduate of the UVA Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, New York University (BS), and the London School of Economics (MSc). Alice and her husband, Clarence, live in Old Town, Alexandria, and are proud parents of Sorkin the Labradoodle.
Kate Waters, Communications Director
Kate Waters was most recently the traveling press secretary for Kamala Harris’ presidential bid. Previously she served as the Communications Director on Abby Finkenauer’s (IA-1) successful bid for Congress, and as Kamala Harris’ Digital Director in the United States Senate. In 2016, she was part of the communications team for Hillary Clinton’s successful Iowa caucus campaign. After primary stints in Nebraska, Idaho and West Virginia, she returned to Iowa for the general election where she served as Hillary Clinton’s Iowa spokeswoman. Waters got her start in political communications as a staffer for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). A proud product of Virginia’s public school system, she is a graduate of McLean High School and James Madison University (BA).
Marcelene Sutter, Digital Director
Marcelene Sutter was most recently the digital director at the Climate Action Campaign, a non-branded coalition of progressive, environmental and public health advocacy groups pushing for federal climate action. In 2018, she served on the communications team for Ashwani Jain’s campaign for Montgomery County Council At-Large. Sutter is originally from Pennsylvania and earned her bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University.
Lauren Reyes, Coordinated Campaign Director for the Democratic Party of Virginia
Lauren Reyes most recently served as the early states director for Julián Castro’s presidential campaign. Previously she was the field director for Senator Tim Kaine’s re-election campaign and the Virginia Coordinated Campaign 2018. In 2017, Reyes worked on both the Jon Ossoff for Congress campaign as well as the Virginia Coordinated Campaign. In the 2016 presidential cycle, Lauren worked on the Hillary for America campaign in North Carolina. Reyes holds two bachelor’s degrees and her Juris Doctor.
Tonya James, Field Director for the Democratic Party of Virginia
Tonya James was most recently the South Carolina state director for Congressman Seth Moulton’s presidential bid. Prior to that she was the campaign manager for Ronnie Ross for Virginia State Senate. She was also a member of Sen. Tim Kaine’s successful re-election campaign as well as the Virginia Coordinated Campaign in 2018. In 2017, she was a member of the historic Virginia Coordinated Campaign that led to the election of Ralph Northam and flipped several House of Delegates seats in Northern Virginia. In 2016, James retired from the United States Marine Corps after over 20 years of service and several deployments. Virginia is the place she has decided to call her home.
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