LaDavia Drane
| LaDavia Drane | |||
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| Basic facts | |||
| Location: | Washington, D.C. | ||
| Education: | •Miami University •Cleveland State University College of Law | ||
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LaDavia Drane was the congressional liaison for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[1] She is known for her work on issues related to African American voters.
Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
Drane joined Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in May 2015 as the campaign's African American outreach director. The hire was first reported by Buzzfeed, who noted that Drane would act "as a liaison between Clinton and the black community on a broad range of issues."[2] At the time of her hiring, Rep. Marcia Fudge told Afro, "LaDavia was instrumental to the work and successes of the CBC [Congressional Black Caucus] during her time with us, and her hire guarantees that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is committed to working to earn every vote in our community. Whether it is criminal justice, education or healthcare, LaDavia understands the issues and how they impact our community."[3]
| More on Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign staff |
|---|
| Staff overview |
| • Clinton staff overview |
Management and strategy |
| • Robby Mook, Campaign manager • Joel Benenson, Chief strategist and pollster • Amanda Renteria, Political director • John Podesta, Campaign chairman • Huma Abedin, Vice chair |
Communications |
| • Jennifer Palmieri, Communications director • Jim Margolis, Media advisor |
Policy and outreach |
| • Jake Sullivan, Senior policy advisor • Marlon Marshall, Director of state campaigns and political engagement • Maya Harris, Senior policy advisor • LaDavia Drane, Congressional liaison |
Speaking to NBC News about her role in the campaign in November 2015, Drane said, "Policy matters. ... I think that we're living history. This is the first presidential campaign coming off of what has been an extraordinary African-American president. The African-American electorate is a sophisticated electorate."[4] In a July 2016 interview with Essence, Drane explained what she considered to be the most important issue in the presidential election. She told the magazine:[5]
| “ | Folks think that some of the more traditional issues matter to African Americans the most. The number one issue impacting us is the economy. If we're not working and we can't buy our children books and make sure that they can go off to college, and have what they need. The fact that millennials have so much student loan debt but don't have jobs that pay what they need to get paid to be able to live and pay their debt is a problem. [Hillary Clinton's] plan for our economy is what's going to be most important to us. We're talking about direct investments that are going to create jobs and good paying jobs here in the United States.[6] | ” |
Role change
In July 2016, Drane transitioned to the role of congressional liaison. According to NBC News, the role was created in response to demand from Congress. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) told NBC, "I couldn't think of anybody more prepared, more qualified and ready for the job of being the congressional liaison than LaDavia Drane. She is, not only the best—with her personality and ability to bring folks together—she was one of the most organized individuals I have ever seen. She thinks not just of what to do today but she thinks of what to do tomorrow."[1]
Career
After graduating from Miami University and Cleveland State University, Drane began working as an associate a law firm, a job she left after a year to work on Barack Obama's (D) 2008 presidential campaign. For the Obama campaign, Drane registered voters Kansas City, Missouri.[5] After the Obama campaign, Drane moved to Washington, D.C., becoming legislative counsel for U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) in 2009. Drane was later promoted to legislative director in Fudge's congressional office.[7] In December 2010, Drane left Fudge's office to work as the senior director of federal affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association.[8]
Drane then worked as the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2013 to 2015. Drane's "political mentor," Marcia Fudge, served as the chair of the organization while Drane was executive director.[3]
In January 2015, Drane joined the staff of Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) as director of the office of policy and legislative affairs.[9] Drane held this position until she joined Clinton's campaign later in 2015.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 NBC News, "Hillary Clinton Expands African-American Staff, Appoints Black Vote Director," July 16, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Buzzfeed, "Hillary Clinton Hires Former CBC Director To Head Black Outreach," May 28, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Afro, "Clinton Taps Drane for Black Outreach," June 10, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Meet LaDavia Drane, Clinton's Director of African-American Outreach," November 17, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Essence, "Clinton Campaign Insider LaDavia Drane Shares Life with Hillary and How Black Women Shape the Election," July 25, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Millennial Week DC 2015, "Ladavia Drane," accessed March 9, 2016
- ↑ Grocery Manufacturers Association, "GMA Appoints LaDavia S. Drane Senior Director Federal Affairs," December 17, 2010
- ↑ Executive Office of the Mayor, "Mayor Bowser Announces Additional Staff Hires," January 7, 2015
