Hillary ramps up in New Hampshire

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is bringing on a trio of experienced New Hampshire strategists to beef up her operation in the early-primary state, her latest staff expansion ahead of a likely spring campaign announcement.

{mosads}Clinton has hired three veterans of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) winning 2014 campaign for her Granite State push, a New Hampshire Democrat tells The Hill, bringing on Shaheen campaign manager Mike Vlacich, political director Kari Thurmon and communications director Harrell Kirstein.

Vlacich will run Clinton’s operations in the state, while Thurmon and Kirstein will reprise roles similar to those they played for Shaheen.

Clinton’s poaching of three top Shaheen advisers is no surprise — the Clintons and Shaheens are longtime family friends, and Shaheen’s husband ran Clinton’s 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign.

Shaheen praised the trio.

“For nearly two decades, Mike Vlacich has been a trusted advisor and a close friend. He is both a dedicated public servant and a brilliant political strategist,” she said in a statement to The Hill. “Mike, Kari and Harrell are among the best people I’ve ever worked with and I’m thankful for their service. I wish them well in their next venture and know they will continue to work to make New Hampshire and the country a better place.”

The New Hampshire hires come as part of a larger ramp-up for the campaign. Clinton recently rolled out senior staff in Iowa and news broke yesterday that Jesse Ferguson, a former senior adviser at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will play a key role on her communications team.

The hirings were first reported by the Boston Globe.

Updated at 12:55 p.m.