White House hopeful Rick Perry makes fifth hire in Iowa

Likely presidential candidate Rick Perry has hired an Iowa political operative — a party leader known for his connections in evangelical Christian political circles — as part of his national team.

Longtime GOP activist Jamie Johnson, an ordained minister and former radio broadcaster, will work for Perry in Iowa and other early states organizing both social conservatives and economic conservatives, aides told The Des Moines Register Wednesday.

Johnson will step down from his seat on the board that governs the Republican Party of Iowa and from his day job at World Wide Missions & Affiliates. Last cycle, Johnson was Iowa coalitions director for Rick Santorum, a potential rival for Perry in the 2016 race.

In a telephone interview, Johnson said he didn’t struggle at all with leaving behind Santorum, a former Pennsylvania U.S. senator who won the 2012 Iowa caucuses by a whisker. Santorum has fallen out of favor, ranking in the lower tier in recent polling in Iowa. Perry has been struggling at the bottom of the polls in Iowa, too.

“I believe the time has come for a successful governor to become the president again,” he said. “Over the last 14 years (Perry’s) been the best in America.”

Johnson added that Perry is “outspoken on right to life, traditional marriage and religious liberty — and those three issues are very important to me.”

Also, Perry and South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham are the only Republicans in the likely 2016 presidential field who have served in the U.S. military, Johnson said.

Perry, a former governor of Texas, said in a statement: “He brings 30 years of political expertise as well as friendships with thousands of leaders in the conservative and faith-based community. He has a strong track record of building dynamic coalitions that advance virtue, liberty, and prosperity in American life.”

Perry’s chief Iowa strategist, Robert Haus, said one of the hallmarks of Perry's tenure in Texas, “the 13th largest economy in the world, was his ability to assemble the best and brightest teams to help him.”

“His direction to me and others on the national team has been straightforward: help me build my 'next great team' to lead America. That's what we're doing in Iowa, and that's what our national team is doing as well,” Haus said.

Johnson’s title with Perry’s political action committee, RickPAC, will be senior director. This is Perry’s fifth hire in Iowa. Johnson joins Haus, Andy Swanson, Dane Nealson and Kip Murphy.

Johnson, 49, has spent three decades working in politics, according to a news release from RickPAC.

He is the vice president of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, the director of outreach for Iowa Right to Life, and has served on the board of governors of the Council for National Policy, a national network of conservative leaders, policy experts and media professionals.