Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty today announced his financial team for Florida, which consists of several big names and alumni of former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s administration. Jeb Bush, who was a supporter of a Mitch Daniels’ potential candidacy until the Indiana governor announced he wouldn’t run on Saturday, tweeted out his compliments for Pawlenty on Tuesday.
Phil Handy, who served as Bush’s gubernatorial campaign state chairman in 1992, 1998, and as co-chairman in 2002, will be Pawlenty’s Florida State Chairman and the National Finance Co-chairman for Pawlenty’s campaign. Handy also served as Chairman of the Florida State Board of Education, a position he was appointed to by Gov. Bush. Handy held the same positions he will hold on gov. Pawlenty’s campaign on Sen. John McCain’s campaign in 2008. Justin Sayfie will be the Florida co-chair for Pawlenty’s campaign. Sayfie, who runs SayfieReview.com, the Florida version of The Drudge Report, is another alumna of Jeb Bush’s administration, having served as the governor’s senior policy advisor, spokesman and chief speechwriter. According to the press release, “Justin was a Ranger in the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, and served as Vice-Chair for the Florida Republican Party Victory campaign in 2006. In June 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Justin to the President’s Commission on White House Fellows, where he served until 2009.” Pawlenty also announced that Ann Herberger would serve as his National Senior Finance Advisor. Runs a fundraising consulting business and has raised money for Jeb Bush’s 1997 gubernatorial campaign, as well as for former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Gretchen Picotte will be Pawlenty’s Florida Finance Director. She did fundraising for current governor Rick Scott’s campaign and was as Florida Finance Director for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee. In 2008 she also did work for the McCain campaign.