Former Minnesota Governor and likely Presidential candidate, Tim Pawlenty, announced he had hired 28 year old Nick Ayers as the Campaign Manager of his Presidential exploratory committee.

Ayers may just be the youngest Campaign Manager of a top tier Presidential candidate in history.

Last cycle Ayers was the Executive Director of Republican Governors Association (RGA) under another likely Presidential contender, former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Many thought Ayers would be aligned with Barbour should he run. Under Barbour's leadership the RGA raised a whopping $113 million and became the de-facto RNC in many ways, helping staff ground games in competitive states in ways the RNC under Michael Steele was unable to.

This latest career move marks a continuation of the meteoric rise of Ayers, who began his career working for the campaign of Georgia Governor Sunny Perdue. Ayers served as a top political aide for Perdue for five years before going to work for Barbour at the RGA. 

After a highly successful stint at the RGA, Ayers and former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie were charged with managing the RNC transition from Michael Steele to the new leadership of Reince Preibus.

Pawlenty has been on a bit of a hiring tear as of late, snapping up top operatives across the country, including the services of the Starboard Group here in Colorado for fundraising. 

Keep checking back at The Peak for the latest on the 2012 contenders and the early moves they are making.