New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has hired a veteran Republican operative to serve as his chief of staff as he prepares for a possible White House run down the road.
CNN reports that Maria Comella, whose client history includes former President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, will work for the Democratic governor.
"Right now, it is important to be an active participant in our democratic process and political party matters less than the things we can accomplish when working together," Comella told CNN. "At a time of turmoil in Washington, I believe the states can and will play an important role, and Gov. Cuomo has the ability to find common ground when it's needed and get things done."
The New York Daily News reported last fall that Comella had been working for Cuomo in an advisory role ahead of his State of the State address. The move gave some Democrats pause because of the pair's opposing political parties.
Cuomo recently hired two fundraisers in Florida as he contemplates running for the White House in the 2020 election.
According to CNN, Comella supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in last year's presidential election. She called Donald Trump, who went on to win, "a demagogue … preying on people's loose anxieties."
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