Trying to strengthen its netroots efforts after some early missteps, Jared Polis has hired organizer Jerome Armstrong to handle his internet campaign. Polis is one of three hopefuls for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the second congressional district.
The campaign also announced the hiring of Maria Handley as field consultant. Handley is a veteran of Ken Salazar’s successful 2004 U.S. Senate bid.
Armstrong replaces Raf Noboa, who was removed from Polis’ staff after he posted a blog entry personally targeting Polis’s opponents, environmental activist Will Shafroth and State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald. Noboa accused Shafroth of being too “Main Line” and Fitz-Gerald of being too Main Street. The Polis campaign quickly disavowed the characterizations and dismissed Noboa.The campaign seems determined not to have any further distractions on that score. According to a Polis release announcing the hiring:
“Armstrong is a highly respected political strategist known for his blog, MyDD (My Direct Democracy). He was one of the first political bloggers and he coined the term “netroots”. In blogging circles he has been referred to as “The Blogfather” for having mentored many other famous bloggers, such as Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos.
He was a key consultant for Howard Dean’s presidential run, and in 2005 worked for New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jon Corzine and in 2006 he worked for Ohio Senate candidate Sherrod Brown.”
Handley is a member of the Democratic National Committee. She has worked on campaigns for Gov. Howard Dean and Sen. Bill Bradley as well as Salazar.
“The professionalism and experience that Maria and Jerome bring exemplify the campaign’s progressive message and ensure our campaign continues to look to the future. We are very proud to have both of them as members of our team,” Polis said in a release.
