Democrats lag in coordinated campaign build up

With the presidential primary fight between Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama dragging into June, Ohio Democrats are behind Republicans in hiring a coordinated campaign director. But party officials say the delay is not hurting Democrats' chances.

Five months before Election Day, the Ohio Democratic Party hasn't hired a person to coordinate election activities between it, the Democratic presidential campaign and down ballot campaigns, such as U.S. House races.

The Republican coordinated campaign's presence has been steadily growing. As PolitickerOH.com reported Thursday, U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee and Ohio Republican Party are establishing their coordinated campaign in Ohio with three new staff hires under the Victory '08 fund -- a joint committee that coordinates get-out-the-vote operations between the groups.

Democratic parties in swing states such as Missouri and New Hampshire have already hired a coordinated campaign director. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party said its decision to hire a coordinated campaign director is pending and expected to be final in the next several weeks, according to communications director Abe Amos. Florida Democrats haven't hired a director and are waiting for a Democratic presidential nominee to be chosen, according to a source inside the party. However, the source added that "hiring is very quiet" in general.

The Ohio Democratic Party is also waiting for a nominee before hiring a director, according to communications director Alex Goepfert.

"The ODP is effectively running a coordinated campaign-level operation right now by partnering with key congressional and state legislative campaigns and we are looking forward to working very closely with our nominee as soon as we have one," Goepfert said.

Meanwhile, Goepfert said the party isn't idle.

"The Ohio Democratic Party is light years ahead of where we were in 2004, with a record number of on-the-ground organizers and volunteers and major investments in targeting and polling. The party's Convention-to-Convention Challenge (10,000 new neighborhood leaders and 500,000 door knocks between the State Convention in May and the Democratic National Convention in August) is one of the most aggressive organizing initiatives currently being undertaken by any state party anywhere in the country."

MORE on PolitickerOH.com:

• McCain adds Ohio staff