Chelsea Schneider

Chelsea.Schneider@indystar.com

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich has hired a prominent GOP consulting firm to help manage his Indiana campaign.

Hathaway Strategies, run by Republican adviser Anne Hathaway, will direct the Ohio governor’s field operations in Indiana, Kasich’s campaign confirmed Friday. Kasich is vying for the GOP presidential nomination, though he’s trailing far behind his opponents Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Despite his underdog status, Kasich appears to be the first of the Republican field to hire a team specifically for Indiana's May 3 primary.

Hathaway is a former chief of staff for the Republican National Committee and worked on U.S. Sen. Dan Coats’ campaign in 2010. She also was the program director for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

Hathaway Strategies will manage his field operations, including hiring and managing organizers to recruit and deploy volunteers in targeted parts of the state, according to Pete Seat, a senior project manager for the consulting firm. Efforts will include phone banking and door-to-door canvasses.

Kasich has a good chance of picking up delegates in Indiana, Seat said.

“There are advantages to being from a neighboring state with overlapping media markets and passionate volunteers who are less than a gas tank away,” Seat said in a statement to IndyStar.

Kasich’s hiring of an Indiana director is another example of growing campaign activity ahead of the state's primary.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton announced her local campaign manager this week – Peter Hanscom, who formerly led a group of businesses advocating for expanded civil rights protections for gay and transgender Hoosiers called Indiana Competes. Clinton’s Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, also has staff in the state and is launching offices.

Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.