Another former Cruz staffer hired by Rand

[Jeremy]

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/03/12/another-ex-cruz-tactician-joins-pauls-team/

Ted Cruz’s stable of political operatives continues to be a fertile place for Rand Paul to pluck talent.

Just a few months after Mr. Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky, hired away the digital strategist who was a major asset in building the national profile of Mr. Cruz, the junior senator from Texas, Mr. Paul has brought on another former Cruz tactician, Rachel Kania.

The move is the latest to highlight the rivalry between the senators, who are both considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Ms. Kania was Mr. Cruz’s statewide field director during his come-from-behind 2012 Senate campaign. Since she helped him get elected, she has led her own consulting firm. She will now run Mr. Paul’s office in Austin, Tex., about three hours from Mr. Cruz’s home in Houston. Mr. Paul grew up in Texas, but he lives in Bowling Green, Ky.

In its statement announcing Ms. Kania’s hire, Mr. Paul’s political committee heralded her connections to the conservative base, noting that before Mr. Cruz hired her in 2012, his campaign “had little to no field operations running and no clear path to a grass-roots victory.”

She will join Vincent Harris, who was the top digital guru for Mr. Cruz before he decided late last year to join Mr. Paul’s operation. Mr. Harris will also be based in Austin.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/235472-rand-paul-snags-ex-cruz-strategist

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday poached his second staffer originally employed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Rachel Kania, Cruz’s former Texas field director, is joining Paul’s team, according to The New York Times. Her addition follows Paul’s acquisition of Vincent Harris, Cruz’s old digital strategist, in November.

The move is the latest in the back-and-forth between the two Republican stars, who are both expected to launch presidential candidacies.

Paul’s political committee praised Kania’s former campaign role in announcing her hire. The New York Times quoted a Paul representative saying Cruz “had little to no field operations running and no clear path to a grass-roots victory” before gaining Kania.

After Cruz’s election, Kania ran Uproot Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm. She will now run Paul’s office in Austin. Paul is a native Texan who now resides in Bowling Green, Ky.

Harris will join Kania in Austin. Besides Cruz and Paul, Harris also served on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) 2014 reelection campaign against Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.

The digital strategist is also aiding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection campaign. Israel’s elections take place on Tuesday.

Kentucky GOP leaders preliminarily approved Paul on Saturday for a system that would let him run for the White House while seeking reelection in the Senate. State law generally bans candidates from running for multiple offices on one ballot.

Paul announced he will pursue reelection to the Senate in December and is expected to announce his presidential campaign next month.

Cruz, meanwhile, said on Saturday that support for his own potential candidacy has been “breathtaking.”

“I’ve been incredibly encouraged by the support I’ve seen,” he said at the Iowa Ag Summit in Des Moines. “The support from the grassroots, frankly, has been breathtaking, and the financial support we’ve received from Texas and all across the country. So it’s something I’m looking at closely, and I think a decision will be made shortly.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/415310/rand-paul-hires-another-cruz-alum-joel-gehrke

Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) picked off another digital operative from Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas), as both freshman lawmakers gear up for expected presidential runs. Rachel Kania, who worked on Cruz’s primary campaign as statewide field director, hinted pretty strongly at Paul’s expected presidential campaign in her statement on joining his team. “As the newest member of Team Rand, I look forward to leveraging the latest in campaign technology to activate our energized volunteer base,” Kania said. “Team Rand will be the most technologically-savvy campaign in the field and his message will inspire and widen the GOP base unlike any other candidate.” Paul previously hired Vincent Harris, another Cruz alum, to be his senior digital strategist. They’ll run his digital operation from Cruz’s backyard — Austin, Texas. “Austin is known as “Silicon Hills” for a reason, and we will welcome anyone interested in working with our team.” Harris said in his statement.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/12/rand-paul-brings-on-another-past-cruz-staffer-will/

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, said Thursday that he’s bringing on a veteran of Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2012 campaign to serve as a strategist — one of the latest steps in the frenetic jockeying for staffers among the possible 2016 GOP presidential contenders — and is also opening a digital engagement office in Austin, Texas.

Mr. Paul announced the hiring of Rachel Kania, state field director during Mr. Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign, as a senior field and technology strategist. Former Republican Party of Texas chairman Steve Munisteri recently stepped down from that post to join Mr. Paul’s RANDPAC as a senior adviser.

“Team Rand will be the most technologically-savvy campaign in the field and his message will inspire and widen the GOP base unlike any other candidate,” Ms. Kania said.

The Washington Times reported earlier this week that Brian Phillips is leaving his job as communications director for Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to serve as an adviser for Mr. Cruz’s Jobs Growth and Freedom Fund. And the Texas Tribune reported that Catherine Frazier, Mr. Cruz’s Capitol Hill spokeswoman, is also heading to work for the Texas Republican’s political action committee ahead of his possible 2016 presidential campaign.

The new office opening is scheduled for Monday — a day after Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith is scheduled to interview Mr. Paul at the SXSW conference, an eclectic annual music and film pilgrimage that this year is scheduled to include an appearance by Snoop Dogg, among others.

“Senator Rand Paul will run the most innovative, tech-forward operation of any elected official in the country,” said Vincent Harris, a digital strategist for Mr. Paul’s political operation who also used to work for Mr. Cruz. “This will be a crowd-sourced campaign that places an emphasis on creativity and innovation.”

The tech oriented office will be housed in the Capital Factory complex; Mr. Cruz spoke at Capital Factory in November to warn about the dangers of the federal government’s planned net neutrality regulations.

 

[specsaregood]

..

 

[Jeremy]

Another sign to me that Cruz does not intend to run.

I'm wondering if Cruz told Paul he's not going to run and can have all his staffers but they're saving an endorsement for a more strategic time. But that's probably too good to be true.

 

[William Tell]

I'm wondering if Cruz told Paul he's not going to run and can have all his staffers but they're saving an endorsement for a more strategic time. But that's probably too good to be true.

I doubt that's the current plan. Why would Cruz be saying stupid things about "breathtaking" support?

 

[Crashland]

lol

[h=1]Ted Cruz Without Applause is the Most Gripping Video You'll See All Day
[/h] http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...is-the-most-gripping-video-you-ll-see-all-day

 

[cindy25]

if Cruz does not run, doesn't it make it more likely that Rubio will run?

 

[William Tell]

if Cruz does not run, doesn't it make it more likely that Rubio will run?

I don't think either of their decisions will affect the other. They care about different factors.

 

[rp08orbust]

If you know who Rachel Kania is, this is not news at all. I was a little surprised when she got behind Ted Cruz for Senate, however.

 

[muzzled dogg]

Another sign to me that Cruz does not intend to run.

Cruz is in NH this weekend trying to hire former Ron Paul staffers

 

[eleganz]

This is silly, the headlines always make it look like Rand poached these people but it appears they aren't even full time staffers. The most interesting thing about all of this is Rand opening the Austin office before his announcement.

 

[tsai3904]

If you know who Rachel Kania is, this is not news at all. I was a little surprised when she got behind Ted Cruz for Senate, however.

Yea, a quick google search shows who she worked for prior to Cruz.

 

[Matt Collins]

If you know who Rachel Kania is, this is not news at all. I was a little surprised when she got behind Ted Cruz for Senate, however.

There was a lot of support in Paul camp to get Cruz elected in 2012. She left the PCC to go help out Cruz, as did others. The idea was to give Rand an ally in the Senate and deny the TX establishment their victory in that race.

 

[aclove]

So, in retrospect, does it still seem like that was the right thing to do? Not asking sarcastically or rhetorically, but genuinely curious what the folks who helped get Cruz in think of that accomplishment in retrospect.

 

[AuH20]

So, in retrospect, does it still seem like that was the right thing to do? Not asking sarcastically or rhetorically, but genuinely curious what the folks who helped get Cruz in think of that accomplishment in retrospect.

Absolutely. David Dewhurst is an abomination.

 

[William Tell]

So, in retrospect, does it still seem like that was the right thing to do? Not asking sarcastically or rhetorically, but genuinely curious what the folks who helped get Cruz in think of that accomplishment in retrospect.

I did not vote for Cruz, nor did I vote for Dewhurst. But I can assure you that the Texas Liberty movement is way better off with Cruz in office than we would be if Dewhurst was in office. Cruz and his supporters have been mostly a force for good at the state level. A number of liberty leaning candidates have been elected here with the help of Cruz or his supporters. Dewhurst would have been much worse domestically, and no better in Washington and with regards to foreign policy.

 

[CPUd]

LOL at the guy with the blue TSA gloves- I think he is a RPF member.