(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) President Donald Trump has hired a veteran Bush campaigner from New Hampshire to run his campaign in one of the leading primary states after recent reports show Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as very competitive in the state, a seemingly awkward marriage of necessity.
Trevor Naglieri was hired as Trump’s New Hampshire state director, according to two anonymous “GOP operatives familiar with the move,” reported Politico.
Naglieri was a field coordinator for Jeb! 2016. He also served as Ted Cruz’s New Hampshire field director before becoming Cruz’s 2016 national field director.
His resume is not what one would expect for a Trump campaign, but with Trump facing new pressure in New Hampshire and Iowa, Trump needs to boost his influence.
Naglieri’s performance in New Hampshire, all things considered, was impressive. In 2016 Jeb! the lowest energy candidate imaginable, took fourth in New Hampshire with 11%, Ted Cruz took third earning 12%, Kasich took 16% and Trump won the primary with 35%, according to NBC News.
He is Trump’s second big campaign hire relating to New Hampshire for the 2024 election. In January, President Trump rehired his former campaign co-chair and outgoing two term New Hampshire GOP Chair Stephen Stepanek, according to Politico.
President Trump commented on the hire.
“If he wasn’t coming with us, I might just have to forget about New Hampshire and just mark it down as a loss,” he said. “But with Steve, I don’t think we can lose.”
Karoline Leavitt, an ex-Trump staffer and former New Hampshire congressional candidate explained the importance of the hire.
“It’s a big deal,” she said. “He was just the leader of our entire state party. I think that sends a clear message to the rest of the Republican field that may be wanting to get in that New Hampshire is Trump’s territory.”
New Hampshire might be a big part of President Trump’s strategy. In 2016 he barely lost the state to Hillary Clinton, winning 46.2% of the vote to her 42.7%, according to Politico. In 2020, he lost by a slightly higher margin, 45% to 52%.
With the surge of DeSantis, Trump may be looking for a strong staff to lock down the state.
And as the rivalry heats up in early voting primary states, more awkward pairings seem possible as the level of competition rises and as Trump threatens to blackball DeSantis staffers.
