Top aide to Ramaswamy resigns to work for the Trump campaign
Vivek Ramaswamy’s national political director is switching Republican teams and heading to former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign.
Its political director, Brian Swensen, has resigned and plans to join Trump’s reelection effort, a spokeswoman for Ramaswamy said Wednesday. The news was first reported by The Messenger.
The move came as Mr. Ramaswamy, whose campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination has stabilized in the polls, storms into early primaries in the final weeks before the start of the primary season in Iowa and New Hampshire in January. Mr. Swensen was with Mr. Ramaswamy in New Hampshire this weekend. In the coming weeks, he will assist with the Trump campaign’s operation in Nevada ahead of the state’s caucuses in February.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Ramaswamy campaign, said Mr Swensen had left on good terms and that the move had “been in the works for some time”. Mr. Ramaswamy has repeatedly praised Mr. Trump, the Republican frontrunner, whom he trails by double digits, often calling him the “best president of the 21st century.”
“We love Brian, and we just want him to be happy in life and in his career,” Ms. McLaughlin said, adding: “Everyone saw it as a surprise and also a positive step for Brian to have a to take a different course. path.”
Mr. Swensen did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Swensen has been a longtime Republican consultant. He worked on Ron DeSantis’ campaign for Florida governor in 2018 and was deputy campaign manager for Senator Marco Rubio’s 2016 re-election campaign. He had moved to New Hampshire several months ago to focus on running the Ramaswamy campaign, long before Mr. Ramaswamy moved his campaign headquarters and full-time staffers from Ohio to Iowa and New Hampshire. this month.
His previous duties will be taken over by Mike Biundo, a former senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign and who previously managed Rick Santorum’s 2012 presidential campaign. Mr. Biundo joined the Ramaswamy campaign a month and a half ago and has overseen much of the New Hampshire campaign since coming on board, Ms. McLaughlin said.