Graham staffs up for possible 2016 run

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has hired two operatives as he considers launching a presidential run.

Communications efforts for his political committee — an organization designed to make it easier for him to run for president — will be led by Brittany Bramell, who has worked for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Politico reported Monday.

{mosads}Jon Seaton will be a political adviser to the group, called Security through Strength. He worked for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s (R) 2012 presidential campaign.

The group said it had hired Tracie Gibler as an Iowa political adviser last week.

If Graham runs, he is expected to ground his campaign in foreign affairs. He has said that the U.S. should be more aggressive against Islamic extremism abroad. That message could take on a greater resonance as the United States continues to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Though some observers have wondered whether he has the resources and cache to compete against a potentially crowded field of Republican hopefuls, one of his top advisers told Politico that Graham will “run to win, not to make a point,” if he gets into the race.