Veteran Democratic Strategist Mame Reiley Dies

Longtime Virginia Democratic strategist Mame Reiley has died.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran's office says in a statement that Reiley died Monday after a long battle with cancer. She was 61.

Reiley persuaded Moran to run for Congress in Northern Virginia's 8th District in 1990, then served as his chief of staff until 1996. Moran called Reiley "an indomitable force of personality and determination, always loyal, always committed to the principles of fairness and compassion.''

Reiley also advised former governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, now members of the U.S. Senate. She served on the Democratic National Committee, chaired its Women's Caucus in 2003 and was a superdelegate pledged to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008.

She also served on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for a decade.