Republican Tom Emmer shakes up campaign

Tom Emmer
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Emmer listens to a question as he meets with restaurant workers during a town hall meeting at Ol' Mexico Restaurante and Cantina Wednesday, July 14, 2010 in Roseville, Minn. Emmer faced a testy audience who lashed out at him over recent comments he made over their pay.
AP Photo/Jim Mone

Republican Tom Emmer is shaking up his campaign for governor.

Emmer hired veteran campaign staffer Cullen Sheehan to run his campaign. The news comes two days after one of Emmer's consultants quit the campaign to go back to his private public relations business. Emmer will also have a new team of senior advisers led by former Republican Party Chair Chris Georgacas.

The shakeup comes after Republican Party leaders questioned the direction of Emmer's campaign. Recent polls show Emmer trailing all three of the DFL candidates for governor and his preprimary fundraising report shows Emmer trailing in the money race.

Sheehan currently serves as Chief of Staff for the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. He also managed Norm Coleman's 2008 Senate campaign. Democrat Al Franken won that race.

The announcement comes just days before Emmer knows who he'll run against in November. Democrats Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Mark Dayton and Matt Entenza are all vying for the DFL nomination.