Former Rick Perry adviser Sam Clovis signs up with Donald Trump
Rick Perry's loss became Donald Trump's gain on Tuesday, when Sam Clovis, who recently stepped down as Perry's Iowa campaign chairman, signed up to be Trump's national campaign co-chair.
The news was first reported by the Washington Post.
Clovis introduced Trump on Tuesday before a crowd in Dubuque, Iowa, where he watched his new boss get into a verbal tussle with reporter Jorge Ramos. (Ramos was briefly ejected from the event but ultimately allowed to reenter and ask several questions.)
"I had an opportunity to get to know Mr. Trump over the past several months," Clovis told Politico in an interview. "I have some close friends working on the campaign. It's a great opportunity for me to effect change in Washington, and I think Mr. Trump is exactly the person to do that."
Trump, the billionaire who's currently leading the polls for the GOP nomination in 2016, has been adding staffers and building his organization in recent months as he seeks to convert the early enthusiasm surrounding his bid into a viable presidential candidacy.
Perry, a former governor of Texas, has had quite a different experience. He's struggled to break out of the crowded GOP field, beset by poor polling numbers and lackluster fundraising. His campaign was forced to stop paying staffers for a period earlier this month, though some payments have reportedly resumed.