Even as he goes national, the senator’s campaign retains its informal atmosphere:
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is the Boston Red Sox of the GOP race. It’s big, it’s rich, and it employs some of the top players in the game. Rick Santorum’s effort is reminiscent of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s small-market, and it features few bold-face names on the roster.
But behind the scenes, Santorum’s team is building, according to numerous campaign sources. In February alone, it made more than ten major hires, bolstered state-level staffs, and created an internal research department. “We are growing, but we are doing it in a very controlled fashion,” says John Brabender, Santorum’s strategist. “I look at Romney’s campaign, and it looks a lot like the federal government: It’s big, it’s very bloated, and it’s very expensive, which is why they have to raise so much money.” (To be fair, Romney’s ranks have slimmed since his last run.)
At the national level, the Santorum campaign has hired Alice Stewart, a former adviser to Michele Bachmann, as a spokesperson. “We’ve also elevated people,” Brabender says. Jill Latham, for example — the adviser who helped engineer Santorum’s surprise Iowa victory — was recently promoted to deputy campaign manager. On the digital front, Becky Mancuso has been tapped to run the campaign’s online marketing.
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