In an exclusive one-on-one interview with News 9's Mike Cronin outside Parker Varney School in Manchester, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she respects New Hampshire voters and the role they play in the election.

Advertisement Updated: Clinton campaign pivots to general election strategy in NH, other battleground states RNC says it is staffing up for November in Granite State Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Hillary Clinton’s campaign said Friday it is pivoting to the general election with a “first wave” of campaign staffers beginning work this week in battleground states across the country, including New Hampshire.The campaign told WMUR.com that veteran strategist Mike Vlacich, who was the state director for the Clinton campaign during the first-in-the-nation primary, will return in that role in the general election.The campaign said in a statement that after primary victories in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut on Tuesday, “the outcome of the primary is no longer in doubt and it is clear Hillary Clinton will end this primary with a majority of the pledged delegates and popular vote.”“While Hillary Clinton will work for every vote and compete in the primary contests ahead, the campaign will also turn to the general election and spend resources to lay the necessary infrastructure in battleground states,” the statement said.The campaign said that beginning this week and throughout May, “the first wave of Hillary for America staffers will start in battleground states across the country.”Staffers include senior advisers, state directors, communications directors, digital directors and others “who will build out diverse teams that will work to ensure Hillary Clinton wins the White House in November,” the campaign said.Friday evening update: Reacting to WMUR.com’s initial report on the Clinton campaign, Republicans said they are prepared to defeat Clinton and the Democrats in New Hampshire.“A sudden shift in gear by parachuting staff into New Hampshire will not help Team Clinton make up for their lagging ground game or the fact that she lost to Sanders by 22 points in the New Hampshire primary,” Republican National Committee Johanna Persing said.“The RNC has invested in staff on the ground organizing to elect Republicans up and down the ticket.”The RNC said it has been in the field in New Hampshire since June, “building a state of the art, data-driven turnout operation, growing and training our volunteer infrastructure, and contacting voters.”It said that in New Hampshire, it has eight paid staffers and 52 volunteer leaders in the communities. It also said that in all battleground states combined, it has 50 times the number of staffers it had at this time in 2012.Clinton currently leads in NH polling The Clinton campaign did not immediately announce New Hampshire staffers other than Vlacich, who managed the Clinton New Hampshire campaign after managing Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s successful reelection campaign in 2014.During the New Hampshire primary, the Clinton campaign had more than 50 staffers and 10 offices in the Granite State.While Clinton lost the primary to Bernie Sanders, 60 percent to 38 percent, a WMUR Granite State Poll released last week showed Clinton ahead of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, while trailing Ohio Gov. John Kasich.The poll showed Clinton ahead of Trump, 50 percent to 31 percent, and Clinton ahead of Cruz, 48 percent to 34 percent. She trailed Kasich, 50 percent to 36 percent.“This hiring of staff and building of infrastructure is critical as the GOP frontrunner has said he will pivot to the general election and as we face a Republican Party who will say, do, and spend whatever it takes to win in November,” the Clinton campaign said.While the Clinton campaign deploys staff for the general election, Sanders’ campaign this week announced it was cutting its staff from a peak of more than 1,000 in January to 325 to 350 and will focus on the remaining primary states.