Perry pulls plug on New Hampshire

The Texas governor's last paid N.H. adviser leaves the campaign.
By ELIZA COLLINS
09/02/15, 12:37 PM EDT
Updated 09/02/15, 01:05 PM EDT

Rick Perry’s campaign is all but over in New Hampshire.

The former Texas governor has no more paid staffers in New Hampshire as of Wednesday. The last paid staffer, Michael Dennehy, told WMUR reporter John DiStaso that he hadn't been paid since June.

In a follow-up email to POLITICO, he added, "I remain a steadfast supporter. But I have not talked with, nor seen Gov Perry, since he left NH on Aug 4, nor have I been asked for my advice from the campaign so it is disingenuous to call myself an advisor or to say I’m working for the campaign."

He said that Perry has no plans to visit the Granite State as of now.

"All that said, to this very minute, I believe Gov Perry is the best qualified, most experienced candidate and understands middle class America better than anyone running for President, " he continued.

Earlier this week New Hampshire political director Dante Vitagliano left and joined John Kasich’s team,and Dennehy, a prominent Granite State operative, took to Twitter to congratulate his former colleague.

“.@Johnkasich gets leg up on competition by getting best NH pol operative I've seen in over decade-@DanteVitagliano. "

The defections are the latest blow to Perry, who has also suffered major staff departures in Iowa, another key early-voting state where he once had 10 paid staff members but is now down to one paid staffer and one volunteer adviser after losing both Iowa co-chairs in the last two weeks. The shake-up stems from serious financial troubles -- for a time, Perry was unable to pay staffers, and his campaign signaled that they were free to look elsewhere -- though his campaign more recently said they have resumed some payments.

"Gov. Perry continues to travel the country sharing his optimistic vision for the future of the country and his proven record of success, and he... continues to focus on competing in the early states," spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said in a statement. "Whether it’s his time serving as governor of the 12th largest economy in the world, stepping in when Washington D.C. failed to secure our border, or serving our country in the U.S. Air Force, Gov. Perry’s record is unmatched by any other candidate in the field."

But several of Perry’s former staffers have already jumped ship to other campaigns. In late August, Iowa chairman Sam Clovis left Perry’s campaign and joined Donald Trump -- a candidate whom Perry had vigorously criticized-- and Karen Fesler, his other Iowa co-chair, is working for Rick Santorum again, after leaving him briefly to aid Perry.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...#ixzz3kbz6ltNM