After her 2018 Senate defeat, Martha McSally is revamping her campaign team as she aims to hold onto the seat she was appointed to following the death of Sen. John McCain.

The staff shake-up was followed Tuesday by the "complete and total endorsement" of McSally, R-Ariz., by President Donald Trump.

Under the new setup, Jeff Roe, McSally’s longtime general consultant from Missouri-based Axiom Strategies, is taking a diminished role but will remain a top adviser.

Terry Nelson, the one-time campaign manager for McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and the national political director for President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign, is taking over as McSally’s general consultant.

Nelson's Virginia-based firm produced McSally’s television campaign ads last year.

The moves — made last week and first reported by Politico — are intended to inject fresh energy into McSally’s campaign structure as she gears up for what may be her toughest race yet.

McSally recently named Dylan Lefler as her deputy campaign manager and Hunter Mullins as her political director, according to Politico.

Her spokeswoman would not elaborate to The Arizona Republic about the moves.

McSally’s staff restructuring could help her standing with GOP donors who may have been reluctant to invest in another campaign carrying the same leadership as her unsuccessful 2018 bid, and with allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

McConnell advocated for McSally to get the Senate appointment after McCain's death, and his allies aided her 2018 Senate run.

Given McSally's 2018 loss to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, and the state’s changing demographics, Arizona is a battleground state for control of the Senate and White House.

McSally is expected to face retired astronaut Mark Kelly, who is running as a centrist Democrat and is a formidable fundraiser. Neither candidate so far has drawn primary challengers. Trump's unequivocal endorsement of McSally could discourage any potential Republican challenger from taking her on from the right.

McSally campaigned alongside Trump during the midterm election, and is expected to do so again in 2020.

Although she lost the race by 2 percentage points, she performed closer to Trump on the ballot in 2016 than everywhere else in the U.S., with the exception of Nevada and Florida, according to a memo written by McSally’s 2018 campaign team after her loss.

Among other things, the memo cited strong Democratic fundraising, GOP hostility against Trump and the confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as contributing to McSally’s loss.

Trump, who campaigned for McSally in 2018, gave her his full-throated endorsement Tuesday.

“A brave former fighter jet pilot and warrior, Senator Martha McSally of Arizona has done an outstanding job in D.C., and is fully supportive of our agenda — she is with us all the way....” Trump wrote on Twitter. “....Martha is strong on Crime and Borders, the 2nd Amendment, and loves our Military and Vets. She has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Have news to share about Arizona's U.S. senators or national politics? Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.

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