Nashville - A veteran Republican strategist from Tennessee has become the new political director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the committee's chairman, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced today.
The appointment of 36-year-old Ward Baker, who last year served as a senior adviser for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's campaign, was one of several senior staff appointments made at the committee as Senate Republicans gear up for the 2014 campaign cycle.
Brad Dayspring, a former top adviser to U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., was named the new communications director.
"Senate Republicans are already on offense in a range of key races across the country and our experienced team at the NRSC stands ready to help our party capitalize on those opportunities," Moran said in a statement. "Simply put, Senate Democrats have failed our country."
Baker has advised more than 20 Republican congressmen, including U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., and has run GOP "victory" programs and overseen independent expenditure efforts.
Last year, he acted as the official liaison for Romney with the Republican National Committee, overseeing a $100 million budget. Prior to the 2012 election cycle he was a member of Majority Strategies. Baker also has consulted for Tennessee state Senate Republicans, who in 2012 became a "super majority" when they picked up six seats.
In 2010, he was a senior adviser on Florida Republican Rick Scott's successful gubernatorial campaign as well as the Bush-Cheney campaign's 2004 Florida effort and Republican Haley Barbour's successful 2003 governor's race.
Baker and his wife, Jennifer, have a daughter, Lillian.