Democrats Tap O’Shea to Head Redistricting Trust

By Nathan L. Gonzales

Former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee National Field Director Casey O’Shea will be the new executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Trust.

Democrats are making the change after former Executive Director Brian Smoot shifted over to run the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s independent expenditure effort this year. But the trust didn’t have to go far to find his replacement.

After working with Smoot at the DCCC last cycle (when Smoot was political director), the pair formed their own consulting firm, 4C Partners, along with other former DCCC operatives Nicole Runge and Seth Pendleton. Before the DCCC, O’Shea was campaign manager and chief of staff for Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.).

“I’m very excited to be working with our top legal team to lay the foundation for the upcoming redistricting,” O’Shea told Roll Call on Friday.

The trust formed last year to coordinate state-by-state legal strategies and raise money for inevitable court battles in the next round of redistricting.

This story first appeared on RollCall.com and CQPolitics.com on April 2, 2010 and in Roll Call on April 5, 2010. 2010 © Roll Call Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.