Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty has added eight staffers to his to-be-announced presidential campaign in New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state.
The eight hires are joining Pawlenty's presidential exploratory committee to serve on his New Hampshire steering committee. Pawlenty, who formed his exploratory committee last month, is expected to make an announcement about his presidential campaign in the coming weeks.
The staffers include John Lyons, who was chairman of Pawlenty's New Hampshire state political action committee. Lyons, chairman of the state's Board of Education, was vice chairman of Sen. John McCain's 2008 New Hampshire operation.
Another hire is Cliff Hurst, who recently ended his term as chairman of the Manchester, N.H., Republican Committee and was co-chairman of Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's 2008 New Hampshire operation.
