Katie Tinucci, Gov. Mark Dayton's press secretary, will step down from that job next week to become campaign manager for Dayton's re-election bid.
Dayton plans to run for a second term in 2014.
"It's going to be hard to leave the Capitol," she said this morning. "But it's an excellent opportunity and a good way to help the governor."
Tinucci was deputy campaign manager for Dayton's 2010 campaign, in which he beat Republican Tom Emmer by about 9,000 votes — 43.9 percent to 43.2 percent — a margin close enough to trigger a recount.
Tinucci then became press secretary and assistant chief of staff in the governor's Capitol office.
She said the campaign will rent space from the state DFL party at first, before opening its own office.
Matt Swenson has been promoted to be Dayton's press secretary, according to an internal memo from deputy Chief of Staff Bob Hume.
Dayton also has hired Linden Zakula as a senior communications adviser. He'd been a press assistant in Dayton's U.S. Senate office and has other political positions, including many years as director of communications for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.