Perry and Allbaugh in 2002 (Harry Cabluck/AP)Rick Perry shook up his struggling presidential campaign Monday, hiring four veteran Republican political operatives in hopes of regaining momentum in the race for his party's 2012 nomination.
Perry announced Monday he's hired Joe Allbaugh, who ran George W. Bush's 2000 campaign and later served as the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as a senior adviser to his 2012 effort.
Dave Carney, a longtime Perry adviser who has been managing the campaign, will continue to work for the Perry campaign but will reportedly share his duties with Allbaugh.
Allbaugh is not Perry's only key hire. The pollster Tony Fabrizo, the media consultant Curt Anderson and Nelson Warfield, a former spokesman for Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, are going to work for the campaign, too. The three worked for Florida Gov. Rick Scott in his successful election bid last year.
The Perry campaign also hired Jim Innocenzi, a political ad guru who previously advised John McCain's 2008 campaign, and Fred Maas, a former political strategist for several Republicans, including Dole, McCain and Mitch Daniels.
"I am honored to have these experienced professionals joining our growing campaign team," Perry said in a statement provided by his campaign. "These experienced advisers will play an instrumental role in helping me share my vision to get America working again with the nation, and I am proud to have their support as our campaign expands."
Aside from Carney, the fate of Perry's other advisers remains unclear. A spokesman for Perry did not respond to a request for clarification from Yahoo News.
Perry has seen his poll numbers plummet in recent weeks after shaky debate performances. He faces questions about his strategy in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
According to Texas Monthly's Paul Burka, Allbaugh rejected the title of campaign manager, even though that's what he'll essentially be doing for Perry. Allbaugh has been quietly advising Perry for months and, according to Burka, had offered to come on board in a more substantial role weeks ago, but his offer was rejected by Perry's advisers.
On Sunday, Perry himself called Allbaugh to ask for help.
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