Lesher takes over as Goddard campaign manager

Attorney General Terry Goddard tapped Jan Lesher to head his gubernatorial campaign, filling a slot that campaign manager Rodd McLeod will vacate at the end of the month.

The addition of Lesher, who worked on the attorney general’s 2006 re-election, brings a trusted friend to Goddard’s staff as he prepares for the next phase of his campaign.

“Jan Lesher is an old friend and trusted ally with a mind like a steel trap,” Goddard said in a press release.

Goddard said he reached out to Lesher in the spring because of her expertise in economic development and experience managing complex organizations. Lesher went to work for former Gov. Janet Napolitano at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and returned to Arizona in February to restart her consulting firm. Prior to joining Napolitano’s staff on the Ninth Floor, Lesher served as director of the Arizona Department of Commerce.

Democratic lobbyist David Waid said Lesher was a good choice to head the Goddard campaign because of her management skills and her intricate knowledge of Arizona’s government and politics.

“You never want to change horses in the middle of the race, but I think Jan Lesher is going to be a good fit for the campaign,” Waid said.

The announcement of McLeod’s imminent departure surprised some observers, though the campaign said it always expected him to leave when his contract ended June 30. McLeod, who headed U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ campaign in 2006, said his departure wasn’t prompted by any disagreements with Goddard or the campaign.

“I don’t think there will be any strategic change. She’s been someone who has been in the family for some time,” McLeod said of Lesher.

Goddard praised the job McLeod did as campaign manager and said he was instrumental in setting up the fundamental framework of his campaign.

“He’s done a great job and basically done what he came to do, and we’ll move on in the next phase,” Goddard said.

The campaign also announced the addition of political director Aaron Marquez and southern Arizona director Catherine Nichols. The campaign hired consulting firm Strother Strategies for media consulting and the firm WebStrong Group for new media and social networking.