Eric Lynn’s new job

Capital J

By Eric Fingerhut · April 20, 2009

Eric Lynn, who joined up with Barack Obama early on in the presidential campaign to direct Jewish outreach, has a new position at the State Department. From Ben Smith at Politico:

Eric Lynn, an Obama campaign aide on Mideast policy and his campaign's Jewish liaison, has started work at the State Department as a senior policy advisor and Director of Special Envoy Affairs.

Lynn, a former aide to Rep. Peter Deutsch of Florida who's particularly close to Dennis Ross, will be serving Ross, George Mitchell, and Richard Holbrooke as an adviser and in particular as a liaison to Capitol Hill, a source in the world of Middle East policy said.

Ross and Mitchell, in particular, are expected to do make their way to the Hill in coming months to discuss their respective portfolios, Iran and the Middle East.

Lynn and NSC Middle East Director Dan Shapiro ran what was an unusually intense battle over Jewish voters and policy issues, in part as a proxy for national security. It was a generally successful fight, as Obama kept the Jewish vote in its traditionally Democratic corner and even expanded on John Kerry's totals.