Exclusive: DSCC Hires National Political Director, Press Secretary

By Emily Cahn

Posted January 27, 2015 at 8:00am

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will add Simone Ward and Sadie Weiner to its senior staff roster, according to a Tuesday news release provided first to CQ Roll Call.

Ward will serve as the committee’s national political director, and Weiner will take the role of national press secretary.

“Simone and Sadie bring a wealth of knowledge in campaigns and elections to their roles, and they will be instrumental over the next two years as we seek to regain the majority in 2016,” said DSCC Chairman Jon Tester of Montana in a statement.

Ward most recently served as campaign manager for Natalie Tennant’s failed Senate bid in West Virginia last cycle. Prior to that, Ward held numerous roles at the Democratic National Committee, and she was the campaign manager for Maryland Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski’s 2010 re-election.

Weiner heads to the DSCC after serving as communications director for former Sen. Kay Hagan’s unsuccessful 2014 re-election campaign in North Carolina. She previously handled press for Sen. Sherrod Brown’s 2012 election in Ohio and Sen. Patty Murray’s 2010 re-election in Washington State.

This cycle, Democrats are defending 10 seats, while Republicans are defending 24 . A number of those GOP-held seats are in states President Barack Obama carried in both 2008 and 2012.

If Democrats pick up a net five seats in 2016 they will ensure control of the Senate .