Walt Herzig

Walt Herzig
Basic facts
Location:	Detroit, Mich.
Affiliation:	Democrat
Education:	•University of Michigan-Dearborn
Prior Experience •Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential •U.S. Sen. Carl Levin •Jennifer Granholm 2006 gubernatorial •Democratic Party of Michigan •Chief of staff, Lt. Gov. John Cherry •Virg Bernero 2010 gubernatorial •U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin

Walt Herzig, a seasoned Michigan Democratic political operative, was the Michigan state director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Herzig joined the Clinton campaign as state director in June 2016.

He is on leave from his position as the district director for U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.).

Herzig was also a longtime aide to the administration of former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), serving as chief of staff to Lt. Gov. John Cherry (D) for two years.

Career

Carl Levin advisor

From 1997 to 2002, after graduating from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Herzig worked with U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), first as an assistant and scheduler and then as the deputy campaign manager and finance director for Levin's 2002 re-election campaign.

Granholm-Cherry administration

Herzig went on to work in a variety of roles with Jennifer Granholm and her gubernatorial administration. In 2002, he was a fundraiser for Granholm's inaugural committee before becoming the director of Granholm's leadership fund. He briefly left the administration during the 2006 election cycle to work as the coordinated campaign director for the Democratic Party of Michigan. The party's efforts aided the successful campaigns of Granholm for governor and Debbie Stabenow (D) in the U.S. Senate.

After Granholm was re-elected, Herzig became chief of staff to Lt. Gov. John Cherry, beginning in March 2007. In December 2009, as Cherry was in the beginning stages of a gubernatorial campaign, Herzig was replaced as chief of staff by Leslee Fritz.

Virg Bernero 2010 gubernatorial campaign

During the 2010 election cycle, Herzig worked as the campaign manager for Virg Bernero's gubernatorial campaign in Michigan. Herzig was chosen after the primary election.

Sander Levin aide

After briefly working with the Census Bureau and the AFL-CIO, Herzig became the district director for U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin (D). In 2013, Herzig also helped to get Lon Johnson elected as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Michigan, with the Levin district office acting as a organizing spot for Johnson's campaign and Herzig handling "much of the nuts-and-bolts work to get Johnson elected," according to Michigan-based political blog Politically Speaking.

Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016

See also: Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016

Herzig was first reported to be the Michigan state director for Clinton's campaign on June 21, 2016. According to The Detroit News, Herzig took a leave of absence in Levin's staff to work with Clinton's campaign.

On June 25, 2016, The Washington Post reported that Clinton faced a difficult campaign in some Midwestern swing states because of the populist message of Republican candidate Donald Trump. The paper said, "In Michigan, Pennsylvania and, to a lesser extent, Wisconsin, an affinity for Trump’s message of economic populism and nationalism has surprised many Democrats. These are big, industrial states they have carried for the past three decades — and where Clinton, so far, has not fully focused." Herzig announced that the campaign had 12 campaign offices open or nearly open throughout the state in August 2016, saying "we will stay focused on growing our organization, recruiting more volunteers, registering more voters, and turning out the vote on November 8."

See also

• Sandy Levin
• Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016

External links

• Walt Herzig on Twitter
• Walt Herzig on LinkedIn