She's in, and by the looks of things, she's playing to win. According to Roll Call, she's putting together a strong team to help her beat Tom Lantos in the June primary.
Former state Sen. Jackie Speier (D) has hired Alex Tourk to manage her likely primary challenge of Rep. Tom Lantos (D) in the San Francisco-area 12th district.
Tourk previously managed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s mayoral campaign.
Also likely to be a part of any Speier Congressional campaign are Democratic pollster Jim Moore and Democratic consultant Bill Cavala, whose specialties include general and direct-mail consulting. Cavala and Moore are both based in Sacramento.
Some of you may know Alex Tourk as the husband of Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the woman with whom Gavin Newsom admitted to an affair early this year. Lost in the news is the fact that Tourk is a talneted operative who well connected and respected in San Francisco political circles. Having Tourk on her team will give Jackie access to talent and fundraising assets throughout the Bay Area. Looks like California will be a fun place to be this spring.