http://www.nationalreview.com/node/437520/print Cruz Shakes Up Senate Office, Expands Political Operation
Two new nonprofits and staff changes are designed to strengthen the Cruz machine for another run.
By Eliana Johnson & Tim Alberta — July 6, 2016
Ted Cruz has been conspicuously silent since his return to Capitol Hill from the campaign trail, but the gears, as always, are turning. Behind closed doors Cruz has been supervising the vast expansion of his electoral enterprise, integrating the operations of his campaign team — policy, political, financial — in an effort to harness his newfound national following with an eye on 2020.
Central to these plans is the creation of two new affiliated nonprofits, their names to be announced in the coming days, which will effectively keep Cruz’s political machinery humming over the next four years. These groups, one a 501(c)3 and the other a 501(c)4, will be responsible for everything from championing Cruz’s legislative priorities to maintaining his donor database and coordinating his early-state travel. They will be an outgrowth of Cruz’s existing campaign apparatus, the nucleus of which has remained active in the aftermath of his departure from the race on May 3.
These developments have scrambled the pecking order inside the senator’s orbit. Cruz staffers learned Wednesday morning that David Polyansky — a political strategist who was senior adviser to the presidential campaign — will become chief of staff in Cruz’s Senate office, replacing Paul Teller, who will be departing to serve as senior adviser to the nonprofit groups. Mark Campbell, the national political director of Cruz’s presidential campaign, will serve as executive director and board chairman of the organizations.
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