Sen. Ted Cruz is expanding his footprint into South Carolina, hiring a veteran conservative operative there to advise his likely 2016 presidential campaign.

The Texas Republican's political team confirmed Monday that it has tapped LaDonna Ryggs to help lead Cruz' efforts in South Carolina. The state hosts the third nominating contest of the 2016 primary — and first in the GOP-dominated South. Ryggs, a former GOP county chairman, isn't necessarily a household name. But she has close ties to the Republican base that Cruz hopes will fuel his rise. Ryggs also has relationships with the party Establishment and bring's to the senator's operation years of experience navigating the ins and outs of South Carolina primary campaigns.

"I like LaDonna," a South Carolina GOP insider said. "She's respected by activists."

Ryggs is working for Cruz' Jobs, Growth & Freedom Fund political action committee as a senior advisor. The senator is not yet a candidate for president, but he is expected to announce for the White House sometime this spring. Ryggs was most recently the managing editor of Palladian View, a digital magazine for conservative Republican women. She earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from Bob Jones University.

The field of likely candidates has been flooding the three early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. This week, attention turns to the Palmetto State. Cruz has visited; former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida hits the ground there Tuesday; and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin will arrive Thursday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham's decision to gauge a 2016 bid has somewhat slowed the typical acceleration of donors signing on with potential candidates and the hiring of political operatives. Some South Carolina GOP players are holding back out of courtesy to their state's senior senator, although he is still not considered a favorite for this key state's nominating delegates.

"It's having some affect — probably more with the donor types," a Palmetto State Republican operative said. "They might be less willing to get on board with other candidates out of respect to him."

Cruz is slowly ramping up for a run at the presidency.

The senator recently tapped Bryan English to advise him in Iowa. English is a highly regarded social conservative operative in the Hawkeye State, home of the first nominating contest of the 2016 primary. Cruz spent the past weekend in New Hampshire (along with Bush and Walker). In Ryggs, he has landed another Republican operative with strong conservative credentials who fits the mold of his Tea Party-style approach to campaigning. She also has ties to the party Establishment, having previously served as chairman of the Spartanburg County GOP.