Clinton replaces campaign manager

[Monique Faulkner]

Clinton replaces campaign manager

Story Highlights
NEW: Maggie Williams joined Clinton after her third-place showing in Iowa

Ex-campaign chief Patti Solis Doyle has been reassigned to a senior adviser's job

CNN calculations: Sen. Barack Obama sweeps Saturday's Democratic contests

Sen. Hillary Clinton's new campaign manager is longtime adviser Maggie Williams



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From Sasha Johnson
CNN
     
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton has replaced her campaign manager with a longtime adviser, Maggie Williams, the campaign announced Sunday.





Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton greets supporters Sunday at a school in Manassas, Virginia.

 The move came after Sen. Barack Obama swept three Democratic contests Saturday.

And CNN was projecting Sunday evening that Obama would win Sunday's Democratic caucuses in Maine, giving him considerable momentum heading into Tuesday's three primaries

Williams joined Clinton's campaign after her third-place showing in the Iowa caucuses January 3. At the time, Solis Doyle was urged to remain on board as campaign manager, but a senior Clinton adviser told CNN that Doyle had discussed stepping down previously.  See why the shake up occurred »

"She's stepping aside," the adviser said. "She's not being blamed or nuked. She's wanted to step aside. Obviously, Maggie Williams was a transition but at the time wasn't announced."

A source close to the candidate tells CNN that Solis Doyle's job had been at risk since Clinton's poor finish in Iowa. Clinton's performance there coincided with the realization that the campaign had been running out of money -- a fact that had not been related to the New York senator until then -- but Clinton stuck with Solis Doyle out of loyalty, the source said.

Doyle has been reassigned to a senior adviser's job, the Clinton campaign announced in a memo to its staff.

Clinton's win in New Hampshire postponed the decision. But Williams began to take on many of the duties of campaign manager, and the lines of authority blurred -- senior advisers went to Williams for guidance, while the junior team was reporting to Doyle.

"There didn't need to be a dual-layer hostile environment - they just needed to sort it out," one insider told CNN. And another source added, "There was a lot of dissatisfaction with the ground operation. There was nobody in charge."

With Obama's wins Saturday in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington and the Virgin Islands, and his projected victory in Maine, the Illinois senator took the pledged-delegate lead over Clinton -- 986-924, according to CNN calculations.

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But Clinton has a 224-135 edge among superdelegates, which leaves her leading the Democratic race 1,148-1,121, according to CNN's calculations.

Tuesday, Clinton and Obama will compete for 15 pledged delegates in the District of Columbia, 70 in Maryland and 83 in Virginia.

Clinton's new campaign manager, Maggie Williams, served as her chief of staff when the New York senator was first lady.

Williams joined Clinton's campaign after her third-place showing in the Iowa caucuses January 3. At the time, Solis Doyle was urged to remain on board as campaign manager.


Clinton loaned her presidential campaign $5 million in January, she said Wednesday.

"I loaned it because I believe in this campaign and I think the [Super Tuesday] results last night proved the wisdom of my investment," she said. E-mail to a friend

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/10/clinton.campaign/index.html?iref=topnews

[Monique Faulkner]

Patti Solis Doyle will now serve as senior adviser.

Former Hillary Clinton chief of staff Maggie Williams will take over as campaign manager, Clinton staffers were told today. Current campaign manager and longtime friend Patti Solis Doyle will assume the role of senior adviser.

The switch has been rumored for more than a month – ever since Election Day in New Hampshire, when it was revealed that Williams would be joining the campaign in the wake of Clinton’s loss in the Iowa caucuses. At the time, Solis Doyle was urged to remain on board.

"I have been proud to manage this campaign, and prouder still to call Hillary my friend for more than sixteen years. I know that she will make a great president," Solis Doyle said in an e-mail to campaign staffers.

She added that the "the longest presidential campaign in the history of our nation" had "required enormous sacrifices from all of us and our families."

"…Maggie [Williams] is a remarkable person and I am confident that she will do a fabulous job."

A source close to Hillary Clinton tells CNN that Solis Doyle’s job had been at risk since Clinton's Iowa loss. Clinton's poor performance there coincided with the realization that the campaign had been running out of money – a fact which had not been related to the New York senator until then.

Still, Clinton stuck with Solis Doyle out of loyalty, says this source.

"There was a lot of dissatisfaction with the ground operation. There was nobody in charge,” another source tells CNN, adding that Solis Doyle was starting to lose the respect of some senior advisers, who fretted that campaign's message from state to state was not clear.

Doyle was "notorious for not returning phone calls which was starting to upset superdelegates and surrogates," and the endorsement process became "messy," says a source.

[Volitzer]

Kluck, kluck, kluck, a bunch of compartmentalized hens working for the NWO.