Corey Dukes

Corey Dukes
Basic facts
Location:	Philadelphia, Pa.
Affiliation:	Democrat
Prior Experience •Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential •Claire McCaskill 2006 U.S. Senate •Barack Obama 2008 presidential •Jay Nixon 2008 gubernatorial •Claire McCaskill 2012 U.S. Senate •Allyson Schwartz 2014 gubernatorial

Corey Dukes, a seasoned Democratic campaign operative, was the Pennsylvania state director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Dukes was Clinton's state director in Pennsylvania during her successful 2016 primary election.

Dukes was a longtime aide to Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), having worked on her campaigns in 2006 and 2012 and as part of her staff in the Senate.

Originally from Kansas, Dukes is a consultant with the firm Tightline Strategies.

Career

Early career

Corey Dukes initially worked for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in 2006 when McCaskill first ran for the position. Dukes remained in Missouri for the 2008 election cycle, where he directed field operations in Missouri's 6th Congressional District as part of the efforts to elect Barack Obama for president and Jay Nixon for governor of Missouri.

Claire McCaskill aide

During McCaskill's time in the U.S. Senate, Dukes served as her legislative assistant, focusing on education issues. Dukes left McCaskill's Senate office in 2012 to serve as her deputy campaign manager for her re-election.

Allyson Schwartz 2014 gubernatorial campaign

In the 2014 election cycle, Dukes was named the campaign manager for then-U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the Democratic candidate for governor. In a May 2014 forum, Schwartz commented on Dukes as an important African American voice in her campaign. She said, "I’m really delighted that in looking for the best talent in this country for my campaign manager, it happens to be an African American man. ... It’s hard to name lots and lots of African Americans who have taken that role, except for African American electeds. My expectation is if I win, he sticks around, which is a good thing." Schwartz lost the Democratic primary to Tom Wolf, who elected as governor in the general election.

Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016

See also: Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016

Dukes initially joined the Clinton campaign as the Pennsylvania state director for the primary election, and in July 2016 the campaign announced that he would remain state director for the general election. In May 2016, Politico reported that Pennsylvania already had a sizable general election staff because of the coordinated efforts of the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania, which was also working on a campaign to unseat U.S. Sen Pat Toomey (R).

Strategy

Speaking with The Wall Street Journal in July 2016, Dukes outlined the Clinton campaign's strategy for gaining support in Western Pennsylvania. He told the paper, "One of the key ingredients of our campaign in Western Pennsylvania and the rust belt and Appalachia is to make the case that Trump is as out of touch with voters’ priorities as Mitt Romney was—if not more."

See also

• Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
• Claire McCaskill

External links

• Corey Dukes on Twitter