Steve Munisteri, the head of the Republican Party of Texas, is stepping down to advise Rand Paul's nascent presidential campaign, a move that punctuates the Kentucky senator's steady outreach to one of the states he calls home.

Munisteri's announcement comes on the eve of a two-day swing through Texas, during which Paul is scheduled to speak at two of the state's largest GOP fundraising dinners. Paul's trip is the latest relationship-building tactic as he looks to highlight his local bona fides among the four Texans gearing up for the 2016 presidential campaign.

As a top Republican in a state with ties to several potential candidates, Munisteri said it was a "long, hard process" before he came to his decision to join Paul's team. He said he did not make up his mind until late Wednesday and then finalized it Thursday.

"At the end of the day, I just couldn't say no to him," Munisteri said, praising Paul's efforts to grow the GOP's ranks and calling him "one of the most brilliant, rational, innovative thinkers I've ever run across in the occupation."

As a senior adviser to RANDPAC, Paul's political action committee, Munisteri will help develop his presidential platform and ultimately plot a national strategy. He will also be involved in Paul's travel and outreach to the early presidential voting states ahead of a likely campaign announcement.

State is 'wide open'

The two have known each other for decades since both led the Young Conservatives of Texas in the 1980s.

Paul, who grew up in Brazoria County and attended Baylor, will speak at the fundraiser dinners for Dallas County Republicans on Friday and Tarrant County Republicans on Saturday. Those events come as Paul opens a political office in Austin and looks to win over the local elected officials who over the next 18 months could provide critical endorsements.

In addition to the dinners, Paul, an eye doctor by trade, is meeting this weekend separately with dozens of physicians, pastors and libertarian activists, a schedule that mirrors his team's belief it can build a winning coalition in ways that other potential candidates cannot. Add in Paul's limited-government gospel, the thinking goes, and he could more than hold his own in a Texas-flavored field with former Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Texas has "a very strong leave-us-the-hell alone mentality," said Sergio Gor, Paul's communications director. "Nobody will be articulating that better than Sen. Paul."

Paul will draw in part on the support base of his father, who for decades represented a rural central Texas district and built a libertarian base with his presidential run in 2008. Mary Jane Smith, who managed many of Ron Paul's races, said she expected his son to have similar success in Texas.

"Everyone is running their candidacy up the flagpole right now," said Smith, a Houston member of Paul's national finance committee whom Paul called Thursday evening to inform her of Munisteri's move. "Texas is still wide open."

Strengthening state ties

Munisteri, who has led the Republican Party since 2010 and is widely credited with restoring its financial health, gives Paul a Texas backer with strong ties to the state's donors also being sought by other GOP hopefuls.

He told the 62 members of the GOP's State Republican Executive Committee that he would resign March 7, at which point the SREC will choose between the four candidates running to replace him.

"The future of the Republican Party of Texas now rests on your shoulders," he wrote them.

Later this year, Paul is expected to open a political office in Austin, where his chief digital strategist, Vincent Harris, is based. The office, which was first reported by Politico, will widen Paul's footprint into a city frequently labeled the next Silicon Valley.

Paul has tilled the Texas ground at least three times in his political career: He raised money in Houston during his first Senate campaign in 2010 and returned twice in 2014 to headline the Harris County Republican Dinner in March and the state Republican convention four months later.

Growing support

Another close Texas backer is state Sen. Don Huffines, the Dallas Republican who toppled longtime Sen. John Carona in a primary with Paul's endorsement. Huffines helped invite Paul to this year's dinner in Dallas and is expected to serve as one of Paul's top surrogates in Texas if he launches a presidential campaign.

"I'm supporting Rand any way I can," Huffines said. "The Paul family's stood with me, and I've always stood with them."

But Paul's outreach in Texas has been extending beyond his longtime allies to the tea party favorites who could rally support to his side in 2016. Freshman Sen. Konni Burton, the Colleyville Republican who replaced former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis in the upper chamber, recently posted a photo on Facebook showing a handwritten note Paul had sent to her office.

"Congrats on winning your State Senate Seat!" the note read. "I'm guessing you'll be a 100% improvement over your predecessor!"