Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has chosen Roger Lau to manage her 2020 campaign for the White House, making him likely the first Asian American campaign manager for a major American presidential candidate, reports CNN.
Lau, 41, has helped steer Warren to victory in two US Senate elections. He was campaign manager for her re-election race in 2018, as well as her state director and political director. He’s maintained a steady presence by her side since 2011.
“Roger and I have been together since my first days as a candidate for office, and it’s always been a fight from the heart. It’s what binds us together,” said Warren. “Roger believes in building a grassroots operation, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
It’s likely he’ll oversee all the details of the campaign, including organization, mobilization, and staffing.
“Roger has been in the trenches of national politics for decades,” said Boston City Councilwoman Michelle Wu, the first Asian American woman elected to the council and Warren’s former student. “He has deftly steered local and national candidates to success while making sure to mentor and open doors for the next generation of staffers and activists.
“He’s been a trailblazer for AAPIs in politics here, and my heart is bursting with pride and emotion to see him break this national barrier.”
Lau was born in New York to Chinese immigrant parents, with his family settling in Queens. He attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He landed an internship with then-Sen. John Kerry at his Springfield office in 1998, eventually working for Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.
“He under-promises and over-delivers,” Kerry said of Lau. “He’s meticulous about details. There’s no guess-work and there’s no spin.
“One of the most important duties of a campaign manager is to anticipate, prevent, and fix problems — hopefully before the candidate knows they exist — and Roger is a fixer to the core and immune to pressure.”
Lau has worked for other Massachusetts Democrats, including former Reps. Niki Tsongas and Richard Neal. Lau also worked for the Obama administration as the director of protocol for the Commerce Department in 2009, reports Politico.
Lau has been by Warren’s side over the past six weeks as she’s been traveling to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico. Warren formally announced her presidential bid just on Saturday in Massachusetts.
CNN was not able to reach Lau for comment.
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