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Maya Rupert
 Former campaign manager 2020 Castro presidential campaign 2020 presidential campaign staff |
Affiliation: Democratic |
Maya Rupert is the former campaign manager for Julián Castro's (D) 2020 presidential campaign. She served as executive director of Castro's political action committee, Opportunity First, and worked as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) while Castro was secretary of the department. Rupert also worked as a policy director for the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).[1]
Career
Rupert began her career as a clerk for Judge Eric Clay on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2006.[1][2] She was an associate at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP from 2007 until 2010, when she became the policy director at NCLR. In 2015, Rupert was hired as chief of staff for the Office of General Counsel at HUD, and then promoted to senior policy advisor to Secretary Castro.[1][3] In 2017, Rupert became senior policy director at CRR and managing director of the center's D.C. office. She began working as the executive director of Opportunity First in 2018.[1]
Rupert graduated with a B.A. in political science and philosophy from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2003. In 2006, she received a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.[1]
Julián Castro 2020 presidential campaign
Campaign strategy
In February 2019, The Root ran a profile of Rupert which stated:
| “ | Winning much of the black vote will be essential, but Rupert is also creating what she calls her 'Southwest Strategy,' which will target Latinx voters in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, Castro’s home state. Part of Castro’s narrative will be sharing how his grandmother emigrated from Mexico to San Antonio during the 1920s, and how his own working-class background resonates with Latinx voters who are increasingly becoming a powerful voting force nationally.
|
” |
A July 2019 piece in The Texas Tribune highlighted policy development as an important part of the campaign's strategy. Rupert stated, "In a field this crowded, you can sort of define yourself through policy. That’s where my expertise lies."[3]
Key staff members
The table below shows a sampling of the candidate's 2020 national campaign staff members, including the campaign manager and some senior advisors, political directors, communication directors, and field directors. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available.[6] For a larger list of national campaign staff, visit Democracy in Action.
| Julián Castro presidential campaign national staff, 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Position | Prior experience | Twitter handle |
| Maya Rupert | Campaign manager | Executive director, Opportunity First PAC | @MayaRupert |
| Natalie Montelongo | Political director | National campaign strategist for immigrant rights, American Civil Liberties Union | @natimontelongo |
| Matthew Jones | Senior political advisor | Aide to Castro | N/A |
| Lillie Catlin | Organizing director | Deputy organizing director, American Civil Liberties Union | @lilliecatlin |
| Sawyer Hackett | National press secretary | Communications director, office of Rep. David Price | @SawyerHackett |
| Jennifer Fiore | Senior advisor for communications and digital | Senior advisor for communications and digital, Opportunity First PAC | @jennifer_fiore |
| Joseph Czajkowski | National finance director | Finance director, Arizona Democratic Party | @joeycz |
Media
This section contains media coverage, interviews, and profiles of Rupert.
Interviews and profiles
- The Texas Tribune, "Julián Castro’s unconventional campaign manager wants 'to run a campaign that will make him proud,'" July 31, 2019
- New York Times, "'You Can’t Always Be Exactly Who You Are': A Chat With Maya Rupert," May 8, 2019
- Crooked Media, "On the Brink: Running a Presidential Campaign," March 6, 2019
- The Root, "What It Means That a Black Woman Is Leading Julián Castro’s Campaign for President," February 12, 2019
See also
- Sample Ballot Lookup
- Julián Castro
- Julián Castro presidential campaign, 2020
- Julián Castro presidential campaign staff, 2020
- Presidential candidates, 2020
- Presidential campaign managers, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Democracy in Action, "Julián for the Future," accessed August 22, 2019
- ↑ HuffPost, "Maya Rupert," accessed August 22, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Texas Tribune, "Julián Castro’s unconventional campaign manager wants 'to run a campaign that will make him proud,'" July 31, 2019
- ↑ The Root, "What It Means That a Black Woman Is Leading Julián Castro’s Campaign for President," February 12, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Democracy in Action, "Organization," accessed November 4, 2019
