Playing from behind, Gordon begins to staff up

Brian Gordon doesn’t have a moment to spare.

The Lower Merion Township Commissioner got into into the 6th District Democratic primary relatively late, after front-runner Doug Pike and insurgent challenger Manan Trivedi had already spent months jockeying over insider support. Even politicos from Gordon’s Montgomery County base had taken sides by the time he pulled the trigger.

So with ground to make up, Gordon is quickly building a staff. Directing the effort as interim campaign manager is Beca Sallen, who managed his 2005 campaign for township commissioner and was field director for Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) in 2006. In an interview, Sallen said a permanent campaign manager—a job she’s not seeking—should be hired by the end of the month.

“We really want someone who’s not only a good tactician, but also someone who’s really good on the ground,” Sallen said.

In the meantime, Eric Stahl has been hired as the campaign’s finance director. Stahl was deputy finance director for Seth Williams during last year’s victory in the primary for Philadelphia District Attorney, and later served as finance director for Williams in the general election. With Pike spending heavily from his own bank account and Trivedi off to a strong funraising start, Stahl will have his work cut out for him.

Josh Uretsky, who was a leader of the Philly for Obama organization in 2008 and is well-known among liberal activists in the area, has been hired as a field and communications director.

And Sallen said that the campaign is quickly stacking up on volunteers.

“Montgomery County is great for finding a volunteer base because they’ve known Brian for so long,” she said.

The stakes are high for the staff in the early weeks. If Gordon doesn’t get significant political backing from Montgomery County committee people early—an area where Pike has found his strongest support—many party insiders think there will be pressure on him to exit the race almost as quickly as he got in.

For now, Sallen said, “there’s not any push to say ‘don’t run.’”