Carmona bulks up his Senate campaign in Arizona

Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona is staffing up ahead of the Democratic primary for Senate in Arizona, bringing on three new members to his team.

Carmona's campaign will be managed by Alexis Tameron, former Rep. Harry Mitchell's (D-Ariz.) chief of staff and a veteran of the Arizona Democratic Party. Tameron will be joined by Finance Director Andy Darkins, who helped Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D-W.V.) get elected in 2011. Andy Barr, a spokesman for the state party and former reporter for The Hill, will head Carmona's communications efforts.

Carmona announced in November he would run for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). His early campaign efforts had been coordinated by Rodd McLeod, who ran former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's (D-Ariz.) congressional campaigns.

Carmona, who served as the nation's top physician under President George W. Bush, is competing in the Democratic primary with Don Bivens, a former chair of the state party. The winner of the primary is expected to face Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in November.