Political Insider
Political Insider

The Georgian who is Mike Pence's top adviser

From left: Nick Ayers, Derrick Dickey and Paul Bennecke in 2003.
From left: Nick Ayers, Derrick Dickey and Paul Bennecke in 2003.
By
July 16, 2016

A familiar Georgia face is the right-hand man to Donald Trump's running mate.

The presumptive Republican nominee's campaign said late Saturday that campaign wunderkind and Cobb County native Nick Ayers would serve as Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's senior adviser.

Ayers had a hand in several big Georgia races involving the Perdue family. (His wife is Sonny’s second cousin.) He helped Sonny with his gubernatorial victories and also aided boost the Senate bid of David as an adviser to the PAC Citizens for Working America.

Also listed as an adviser to Pence is Kellyanne Conway, a pollster who was a close adviser to Newt Gingrich during his 2012 White House run.

The Pence aides will be charged with organizing the day-to-day operations for the running mate and coordinating with Trump's campaign.

About the Author

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

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