Jeb Bush PAC hires 2 key New Hampshire operatives

Jeb Bush makes his first trip to New Hampshire in 15 years this weekend.Charlie Neibergall/AP/File

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s leadership PAC has hired two of the most sought-after New Hampshire Republican operatives to aid his efforts ahead of what could be a run for president.

Rob Varsalone, a close confidant of US Senator Kelly Ayotte, and Nate Lamb, Scott Brown’s field director on his US Senate campaign last year, have been named senior advisers to Bush’s Right to Rise political action committee.

The pair join Republican strategist Rich Killion who joined the campaign last month. Should Bush move forward with a presidential campaign, all three would lead the campaign in a state that traditionally holds the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.

“Governor Bush has a proven conservative record of cutting taxes and spending that I know will resonate with my fellow Granite Staters. I am excited to join the Right to Rise PAC,” Varsalone said.

Varsalone has been involved in New Hampshire politics since 2002 when he worked to get Republican Craig Benson elected governor. In 2004, he ran the statewide victory effort related to George W. Bush’s re-election. In 2010, he was a senior strategist on Ayotte’s Senate campaign. He also spent five years overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan working for a State Department funded nonprofit government organization.

Bush makes his first trip to New Hampshire in 15 years this weekend.