CNN has chosen the presumptive winner.
Via KRTV:
As she makes her first visit to Iowa as an official presidential candidate to participate in a CNN town hall Monday night, Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris snapped up a key hire for her campaign — naming Deidre DeJear as her campaign chair in the Hawkeye state.
Last fall, Harris campaigned for DeJear, a popular figure in the state who narrowly lost her bid to become Iowa’s Secretary of State in November. Harris traveled with DeJear around the state as she traversed the country seeking to boost the fortunes of female candidates in congressional and down-ballot races.
The California senator nailed down DeJear’s support at a time when there is intense competition for political talent among the 2020 hopefuls in Iowa and other early state contests like New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Several of Harris’ rivals were actively courting DeJear. Earlier this month, DeJear appeared on stage with Elizabeth Warren during the Massachusetts’ senator’s recent visit to Ankeny, Iowa.
Harris arrived in Iowa Sunday night hours after the official launch of her campaign in her birthplace of Oakland, which drew thousands of people to her rally in front of Oakland’s City Hall.
She will face questions from Iowa voters for the first time as an official candidate in a town hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper Monday night. The event airs live from Drake University at 10 p.m. ET.
On Monday, Harris will also name Democratic operative Will Dubbs to lead her organizing effort for the Iowa Caucuses, which are slated for early February of next year.
Dubbs was Hillary Clinton’s regional organizing director in Iowa in 2016. During the 2018 cycle, he organized the Democrats’ coordinated campaign in Pennsylvania, and was involved previously in Democratic organizing efforts in New Hampshire.