Tim Pawlenty’s Iowa operation has just added a big name: Huckabee. Not Mike, but Mike’s daughter and former campaign manager, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She’s signed on as a senior political adviser to Pawlenty and will spearhead his effort to place at or near the top of the Ames Straw Poll in August. That’s nice and all, and Huckabee Sanders is certainly qualified she also ran a successful campaign for Arkansas senator John Boozman last year but the reason this hire is making such a splash today is that name of hers. Mike Huckabee is a popular figure in Iowa, where he won the Republican caucus in 2008. Merely having his daughter in a senior position is bound to solidify Pawlenty’s bona fides a bit with Iowa primary voters. It could also signal that the elder Huckabee might grace Pawlenty with his endorsement at some point down the line. An endorsement from Mike Huckabee would carry a lot of weight in Iowa, and that is also not a fat joke.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders joins Tim Pawlenty [Politico]
