his successful run for california governor in 2018 before helming mr bookers presidential effort a cofounder of the political consulting firm 501 strategies mr demissie served in 2016 as the director of national voter outreach and mobilization for hillary clintons presidential campaignhe is one of a few former senior aides to mr bidens onetime democratic primary opponents who have joined up with mr biden for the general election chief among them is ms omalley dillon who managed beto orourkes primary campaign before becoming mr bidens campaign manager in marchms holst served in president barack obamas white house and at the democratic national committee during the administration starting out on the digital team at the dnc during the 2010 election and then working on the presidents reelection campaign she became mr bidens digital director during the second termher appointment to a senior role in the campaign further confirms that mr bidens team is exploring alternatives to a traditional nominating convention with the usual scenes of thousands of delegates activists and political donors cheering on the partys presidential ticket from the floor of an arena somewhere in a swing stateunder normal circumstances the political conventions are distinctive opportunities for both parties to showcase their presidential nominees introduce new running mates and deliver emphatic and meticulously staged appeals to generalelection voters on primetime televisionwithout the benefit of all the usual pageantry and with the electorate in a decidedly downbeat mood the conventions could become more muted affairs than in the pastbut the severity of the countrys challenges and the general sense that the nation is confronting a decision of extraordinary weight in november could also draw unusual attention to conventions that in most years are largely predictable affairs despite the parties best efforts to provide sizzle