Campbell Hires Newcomer as Manager of His Campaign

Weeks after winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, Rep. Tom Campbell of San Jose has hired a 23-year-old political newcomer to manage his day-to-day general campaign to unseat Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein.

Andrea Jones, daughter of California Secretary of State Bill Jones, joins the campaign after serving as national youth coordinator for the now-abandoned presidential bid of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Hiring someone so young for a pivotal post is an “example of Tom’s unusual way of doing things,” said one Republican insider. “It seems that his campaign from the beginning has done the opposite of what is conventional wisdom in how you run a successful campaign in California.”

Others said Campbell’s move is logical and frugal, given his difficulty in fund-raising.

“You have to remember they don’t have $20 million in the bank,” said veteran GOP consultant Allan Hoffenblum. “So when you deal with staffing, you first have to [pay for] a lead consultant, then a press secretary . . . and quite often you find that it is not that rare for the campaign manager, who coordinates day-to-day activities, to be in their 20s.”

Suhail Khan, who will move from his current role as campaign press secretary to one as Campbell’s executive assistant, said the hire reflects the congressman’s intention to run a nontraditional campaign with an eye toward young voters.

“The congressman has really felt there is great potential with young people in the state,” Khan said, noting that Campbell, a Stanford law professor, has campaigned at several campuses, including UC Berkeley and UC Irvine.

But several longtime GOP insiders noted Campbell’s reputation for independence, as well as his support for some controversial positions, including a limited government experiment in distributing drugs to combat drug-related crime.

“In several areas, he has essentially been running to the left of the Democratic candidate, which is an unusual position and at odds with voter sentiment,” said one GOP source.

Another said: “It’s hard to put together an underdog campaign, especially when you don’t have a lot of money. And the fact is everyone knows Dianne is a tough campaigner. The lady doesn’t have a glass jaw.”