With less than two days to go before Gov. Rick Perry officially jumps into the 2012 presidential race in South Carolina, the team that will run his campaign is beginning to take shape, top Texas Republican sources say.
It will surprise no one that longtime strategist Dave Carney will remain in his role as Perry’s top consultant, and that his 2010 gubernatorial campaign manager, Rob Johnson, is now going to play the same role as the Texas governor takes his ambitions nationwide.
Deirdre Delisi, Perry’s former chief of staff and currently serving as chair of the Texas Transportation Commission, will serve as chief policy wonk. Her exact title isn’t clear yet.
Ray Sullivan, Perry’s gubernatorial chief of staff, will oversee the communications team. The press shop, according to sources, will include his longtime spokesman Mark Miner, who is currently serving as the governor’s communications director; former Perry spokesman Robert Black, now an Austin consultant; and current Perry Press Secretary Katherine Cesinger.
No word just yet on who will take over for Sullivan at the governor’s office.
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