Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has hired Mike Dennehy, who served as John McCain’s national political director and senior adviser in 2008, to be an adviser for his presidential campaign should he choose to run.
According to John DiStaso of the Union Leader, Dennehy, a veteran New Hampshire strategist, will for now advise Barbour’s political action committee, Haley’s PAC. But if Barbour runs for President, Dennehy confirmed he will be with him.”
Dennehy said that if Barbour runs, “he will be formidable, and I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t hope that he runs. As a two-term governor of Mississippi, he has lead on two national crises, Hurricane Katrina and the BP gulf oil spill, and has balanced his state budget in a difficult economy by cutting spending and keeping taxes low.”
DiStaso writes that Dennehy was also instrumental in the Granite State during McCain’s multiple runs for president:
McCain, with Dennehy’s help, won the New Hampshire primaries in 2000 and 2008. Dennehy was McCain’s state campaign manager in 2000 and then was national political director, and later, a senior adviser, in 2007.
Last week, Barbour also brought on another New Hampshire political operative, Paul Young.
Jillian Rayfield
Jillian Rayfield is a Reporter/Blogger for TPM, and started as a News Intern in May 2009. She graduated from Cornell University in May 2008 with a degree in Film, and worked as a Research Assistant for a market research firm in London in between.
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.