Biden-Harris 2024 Announces National States Leadership Team
Today, Biden-Harris 2024 announced the hiring of the following key staffers who that will serve as the leadership team overseeing battleground states operations:
• Dan Kanninen, Battleground States Director
• Lauren Brainerd, Deputy Battleground States Director
• Josh Marcus-Blank, States Communications Director
This team will be responsible for managing Team Biden-Harris 2024’s battleground efforts, including overseeing coordinated campaign efforts to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. The announcement of this team builds on Team Biden-Harris 2024’s ongoing work in the states, including the earliest paid media investment for a reelection campaign, state leadership teams in key battlegrounds, and organizing pilot programs targeting key components of the Biden-Harris coalition.
“We are thrilled to bring on this battle-tested states team that knows what is needed to win across the map this November,” said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Manager. “At President Biden’s direction, the DNC has spent the past three years making historic, strategic investments into state parties that have helped yield big Democratic wins in 2022 and 2023. Building on that existing infrastructure, our states team will oversee Team Biden-Harris’ ongoing work to build, organize, and again mobilize our winning coalition across the country this November, and work to elect more Democrats up and down the ballot. This team’s collective experience and talent sends a clear signal: we have a winning team that will fight to defend our democracy, rights, and freedoms.”
States Leadership Team:
Dan Kanninen, Battleground States Director
Dan Kanninen is the founding partner and CEO of the political and public affairs consulting firm, Arc Initiatives. He's a veteran of presidential politics, having led key battleground states in three presidential elections for both President Obama and Secretary Clinton in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Additionally, he managed a region of battleground states for President Obama's re-election campaign from Chicago Headquarters, and built and managed the largest primary campaign operation in the history of American politics as States Director for Michael Bloomberg’s presidential bid. Dan has served as the White House Liaison at EPA, and as former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s Legislative Director. Born in Duluth, MN, Dan was raised in neighboring Superior, WI.
Lauren Brainerd, Deputy Battleground States Director
Lauren Brainerd is a veteran of five presidential campaigns and competitive statewide races for both Governor and U.S. Senate. She has both built national programs and executed campaign plans in key battlegrounds. Most recently, she served as the National Coordinated Campaign Director at the DSCC for the 2022 cycle where they defied all expectations to expand the Democratic Senate majority to 51 seats. In 2020, she was President Biden’s National Vote By Mail Director, designing the program that more than doubled vote-by-mail participation, resulting in massive voter turnout and a record 81 million votes for President Biden. Lauren is an alum of both President Obama and Secretary Clinton’s presidential campaigns in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
Josh Marcus-Blank, States Communications Director
Josh Marcus-Blank most recently served as communications director for Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, managing her press team on the Hill and for her re-election campaign in Nevada, when she won the closest race in the country and delivered the Senate majority for the Democrats. He previously served as communications director for Senator Jeanne Shaheen's successful re-election campaign in New Hampshire and has worked at Precision Strategies and for Jason Kander's Senate campaign in Missouri.
