WaPo profiles Franken campaign manager

When Stephanie Schriock took over as Al Franken’s campaign manager in May, most political pundits had all but written his electoral obituary. Franken’s campaign had been beset by revelations about failing to properly pay his taxes and old, off-color jokes that didn’t play so well on the campaign trail.

More than a year later, Franken has finally taken office in Washington and Schriock is being hailed as one of the country’s top Democratic political gurus. Today the Washington Post profiles the North Dakota native, detailing how she overhauled the campaign’s operations and bolstered spirits during the bruising U.S. Senate contest. Most importantly, Schriock presciently prepared the campaign for a potential recount weeks before election day. Here’s a key passage:

She trained some 2,000 volunteers to bird-dog the state canvassers in every jurisdiction as officials hand-sorted nearly 3 million ballots. Schriock marshaled hundreds of attorneys, turning party headquarters into a law firm. Field staffers who had been door-knocking for Franken became paralegals prepping his legal exhibits.