Doug Stafford, chief of staff for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is leaving his current job to head up Paul's political operation, reports the
Hill.
The move is seen as a way to give Stafford time to develop the operation for Paul’s possible 2016 presidential run.
Stafford will have a full plate in his new role.
He’ll run Paul's outreach and organization in the initial primary states as well as handling RAND PAC and Paul's Senate campaign PAC.
Stafford will also be in charge of Paul's political schedule and communications.
Trygve Olson, a Paul adviser, said Stafford's shift is “part of a natural evolution for Rand's team.”
“Rand is doing a lot of things right now, so there’s a need to expand," Olson said.
“Given Doug’s background in both establishment politics and grassroots politics, he’s a perfect fit.”
Paul has made no secret of his 2016 intentions. Though he has yet to make a bid official, he's said multiple times that he's considering a run.
And he's proved competitive in some early polls, recently leading the GOP pack in a survey of first-in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.