Senate Republicans staff up for 2016

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has rounded out its senior staff as it prepares to defend its newly won majority, adding a senior staff member from its House counterpart and promoting a number of other staff.

{mosads}The NRSC has promoted Sarah Morgan to political director. Morgan served as western regional political director in the last campaign cycle, helping Sens.-elect Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) with their victories.

The group has also added former National Republican Congressional Committee Communications Director Andrea Bozek as its communications director, and hired Claire Holloway Avella to be its finance director and Michelle McGann on director of its political action committee.

Tim Cameron, who’d been the NRSC’s digital director, is now its chief digital strategist, while Mark McLaughlin is staying on as the NRSC’s research director. The NRSC had previously announced that Ward Baker and Kevin McLaughlin, two senior staffers from 2014, would be promoted to executive director and deputy executive director.

The hires come as the NRSC turns to defend a eight-seat majority it helped win last fall. Republicans will likely be on defense this election cycle, with 24 Republican senators facing reelection to just 10 for the Democrats. But their 2014 romp has given them a large enough majority that Democrats face steeper odds at winning back Senate control.