Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook quietly visited California recently to conduct meetings with major donors as the former secretary of state continues to wade through controversy surrounding her use of a personal email system.
The Los Angeles Times reported:
Mook’s stops, according to donors who were invited to join the conversation, included the homes of Susie Tompkins Buell and Amy Rao. Buell, who lives in San Francisco, is one of Hillary Clinton’s close friends. She is the founder of Esprit clothing. Rao is a Silicon Valley businesswoman and prodigious fundraiser. ... Mook’s challenge is to make them feel like their opinions matter to the campaign, while also persuading them that the political professionals back at campaign headquarters in Brooklyn have it all under control.
Revelations of Mook’s trip come just one day after a Hollywood agent and significant Democratic donor pledged support for Joe Biden ahead of 2016 and suggested that more individuals in the entertainment industry would back the vice president if he ran for the White House.
Clinton will herself visit California next week to attend fundraisers on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Sources in Hollywood have said that Clinton allies have had trouble selling tickets to her Sept. 27 fundraiser in Los Angeles amid the email controversy.
Clinton depends on money from California. As of July, the Democratic presidential candidate had raised over $8 million from donors in the state, which represents about a fifth of her total funds.