Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic nominee for Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski's open Senate seat, has hired the director of the state's Democratic Party to lead his campaign.
Pat Murray, a state house veteran who was named the party's executive director last year, will succeed Sheila O'Connell. O'Connell successfully steered the Van Hollen campaign through a feisty primary against Rep. Donna Edwards that captured national attention.
Murray, 36, previously worked as a director of state affairs for Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, and as a deputy chief of staff to Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. The Omaha native, who also previously served as executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, was raised in Harford County.
Van Hollen, a seven-term congressman from Montgomery County, will face Del. Kathy Szeliga of Baltimore County in November. Democrats have said they are confident the higher turnout expected in a presidential election year will help them avoid a repeat of 2014, when Republican Larry Hogan unexpectedly beat Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown in the gubernatorial race.
Van Hollen's campaign is already working hard to tie Szeliga to Trump, who won the GOP nomination for president in Maryland.
"With Kathy Szeliga and Donald Trump putting big money special interests before working families at every turn, Pat knows how much is at stake in this election," Van Hollen said in a statement released by the campaign. "We are going to fight hard for the support of Marylanders in every part of the state this fall."
Democratic Party Chairman Bruce Poole said that Chuck Conner, currently the party's community outreach director, will succeed Murray.
Conner previously worked at Thread, a Baltimore non-profit that helps underperforming high school students. He also worked for Del. Luke H. Clippinger of Baltimore.