Trump, showing he’s in for long haul, picks staffers for Texas, other Southern states

Donald Trump holds up a bible his mother gave him as a child, as he speaks at the Values Voter Summit on Sept. 25, 2015, in Washington. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)


New York real estate mogul Donald Trump, showing he’s in the GOP presidential race for the long haul, named state campaign directors Friday in Texas and two other large Southern states holding their primaries in the first half of March.

Trump tapped Austin political consultant Corbin Casteel as his state campaign director. He also picked state directors in Florida and Virginia. The moves came a week after Trump named state campaign directors in Georgia and Tennessee, which like Texas and Virginia are participating in the “SEC primary” on March 1. Florida’s primary is March 15.

Trump, who is leading a 13-candidate Republican field in all national and state polls, said in a statement that Texas, Florida and Virginia are “critical states.” The self-funded billionaire candidate said he wants to “build on the tremendous support we have received and share our message with even more voters in these states.”

Casteel, well-known in Texas political circles for his past work as a fundraising and campaign consultant, could not be reached. Here’s his bio.

Read more: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2015/10/trump-showing-hes-in-for-long-haul-picks-staffers-for-texas-other-southern-states.html/