White House hopeful John Kasich hires former George W. Bush press aide

[February 17, 2016]    By Steve Holland
 
 CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The Republican presidential campaign of Ohio Governor John Kasich has hired a former deputy White House press secretary for President George W. Bush as a top communications adviser, a campaign source said on Tuesday.

The adviser, Trent Duffy, is an Ohio native who worked on Capitol Hill when then-Representative Kasich was chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Duffy, who has been a public relations consultant in the years since serving in the Bush White House, will be a national communications strategist and responsible for national media outreach on behalf of Kasich's campaign for the Nov. 8 election.

The hire takes place during the heat of the South Carolina primary battle. Republicans in the state vote on Saturday and Kasich is campaigning in the state over the next few days to try to build on the momentum he received from a second-place finish in the New Hampshire nominating contest last week.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller)

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.