Clinton Campaign Manager Solis Doyle Gets Replaced

Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton replaced campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with another longtime adviser a day after losing three contests for the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama.
Solis Doyle, who has run Clinton's campaign since she entered the race in January 2007, will remain as a senior adviser. In a note to the staff today, Solis Doyle said she was stepping aside as Maggie Williams takes over and cited the strain of the extended fight for the nomination.
``This has already been the longest presidential campaign in the history of our nation, and one that has required enormous sacrifices from all of us and our families,'' Solis Doyle said.
The change doesn't represent any concern about the direction of the campaign, Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee said. ``We're doing great,'' he said. ``It's a competitive race.''
Long considered the Democratic front-runner, Clinton, 60, a New York senator, is in a close race with Obama, 46, an Illinois senator. The two have traded victories in states across the country for the last month.
Obama had the edge yesterday, winning Louisiana's Democratic primary with 57 percent of the vote. He also bested Clinton in the Washington and Nebraska caucuses by a 2-1 margin.
Raising Eyebrows?
``Though personnel shifts happen throughout campaigns, the timing of this one -- as Clinton fights for her presidential- campaign life, following a clean Obama sweep by big margins in the weekend contests -- will inevitably raise eyebrows,'' said Rogan Kersh, associate dean of New York University's Wagner School of Public Service.
Elleithee said campaign officials are confident about the hunt for delegates, especially in states such as Texas and Ohio that vote on March 4. ``We feel good about the states that are coming up,'' he said.
Williams had been working as a senior adviser to the campaign for several weeks. When Clinton was first lady during the 1990s, Williams served as her White House chief of staff.
``Patti and I have worked with Maggie Williams for more than a decade,'' Clinton said in an e-mailed statement. ``I am lucky to have Maggie on board and I know she will lead our campaign with great skill towards the nomination.''
Solis Doyle ``has done an extraordinary job in getting us to this point,'' Clinton said.
The next big set of primaries takes place on Feb. 12, when voters in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. go to the polls.
Clinton campaigned in Manassas, Virginia, today and is set to hold an event in Bowie, Maryland, this evening. She canceled an appearance in Roanoke, Virginia, when severe winds prevented her plane from taking off from the Washington area.

From:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news