Charlie King will soon be leaving his role as executive director of the state Democratic committee, a source just told me.
The Democratic insider said King will leave after the national Democratic convention in September to seek private sector job opportunities.
“It was always his plan to do the national (convention) stuff and leave,” the source said.
King is the second top official exiting the committee, following state party chairman Jay Jacobs, who will be replaced by Assemblyman Keith Wright and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.
King has had a close relationship with Gov. Cuomo over the years. He was his lieutenant governor candidate in 2002 when Cuomo unsuccessfully sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He briefly challenged Cuomo in an attorney general primary four years later before dropping out and endorsing him.
King was named state Democratic party executive director in April 2010–a move many saw at the time as Cuomo putting his imprint on the party machinery. Jacobs had been appointed by then Gov. David Paterson.
