Trump ramping up national team to expand battleground states

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is moving quickly to install political operatives in more than a dozen states, targeting Maine and Minnesota among others that traditionally favor Democrats, as the Republican White House contender lays the groundwork for an expanded electoral battlefield.

The staffing expansion, outlined by campaign strategists not authorized to speak publicly about internal strategy, represents Trump's first tangible step toward implementing a general election plan that would defy conventional wisdom and political trends.

Drawing on the New York billionaire's appeal among working class white voters in particular, the campaign is charting an early path to the White House that runs through states that haven't supported a Republican in a presidential election in decades.

The former reality television star's success in the GOP primary season was fueled almost exclusively by personality and a flood of free media coverage.

The staffing expansion marks the recognition that Trump must grow his bare-bones operation to be competitive this fall, even if he is reluctant to fully embrace other modern-day political tactics.

The campaign envisions a small, but significant presence in key states that includes a local state director, communications director, events coordinator and a coalitions director, with additional campaign functions running through the RNC.