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WASHINGTON -- George W. Bush'S presidential campaign, getting ready for the general election battle, is expanding its senior staff -- including the hiring of a new deputy to chief strategist Karl Rove who started work Wednesday.
Chris Hennick, most recently a lobbyist with former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour's firm and a former political operative for both the RNC and the Republican Governors Association, joined the campaign as Rove's deputy.
Bush has bolstered his staff with several new senior aides in recent weeks.
Tony Feather, a Missouri political telemarketing consultant, recently joined the campaign as political director. John Bridgeland, a former aide to Rep. Rob Portman of Ohio, is the new deputy policy director. A former aide to President Bush, Joe Hagin, is deputy campaign manger for operations and scheduling, working directly under campaign manager Joe Allbaugh.
Two new spokesmen also have come on board.
Tucker Eskew, communications director when Carroll Campbell was governor of South Carolina, will be senior communications adviser and regional press director. Ray Sullivan, a new deputy press secretary, has campaign experience in California, Ohio, and worked in Bush's gubernatorial office in Austin. Most recently, Sullivan was communications director for the Texas lieutenant governor.
Matthew Dowd, who worked for Maverick Media, which produced Bush's early campaign ads, also has joined the operation as director of polling and media planning.
