Former Jon Huntsman campaign manager Susan Wiles, who was fired from the former Utah governor’s team earlier this year amid disputes with her colleagues, will join former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as a Florida advisor on Monday.
“Governor Romney has the experience, temperament and values that matter to me in our next President,” Wiles told The Daily Caller in an email. “On the subject of electability, I believe he is best positioned to take on President Obama next fall. I look forward to helping the campaign however they may need.”
Politico reported Monday that Wiles, who managed Florida Governor Rick Scott’s election effort last year, is said to have decided to join Romney because she is worried Huntsman may run as a third-party candidate in 2012.
The Huntsman campaign tells TheDC that he has repeatedly ruled out an independent run.
There is reportedly no love lost between Wiles and John Weaver, Huntsman’s polarizing chief strategist.
“If Huntsman can’t rule out running as a 3rd party candidate then he hired the perfect strategist, Weaver, for such a sideshow,” another campaign veteran, who has worked with both Wiles and Weaver, told TheDC.
“Unlike Weaver, Wiles has a record of winning elections and the fact that Huntsman took Weaver’s advice speaks volumes to his leadership and sensibilities. Huntsman can still turn it around but not with an albatross like Weaver around his neck, otherwise he is just on a Cain-esque book tour without the book.”
This article has been updated.