By Michelle Martin
BERLIN (Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on Wednesday explained a shake-up of his political team, saying he was trying to ensure that his staff all had roles suited to their skills as he prepares to launch his presidential bid.
Earlier this week, Bush picked Danny Diaz, a veteran of Republican politics, as his campaign manager in what was seen as a surprise move. David Kochel, another experienced political strategist, was believed to have been penciled in for the role when he was hired this year.
Bush is expected to formally launch his campaign next week for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
"First of all we don't have a campaign so there was no switching but David Kochel is going to be the chief strategist, which is where his skill sets are," Bush told reporters in Berlin during a five-day tour to Germany, Poland and Estonia.
"I've gotten to know Danny Diaz over the last few months as he was part of the Right to Rise team and he is, I think, going to be a really good campaign manager so this is an adjustment based on the skills of people," he said, referring to his political organization, the Right to Rise Super PAC.
Asked what had made him decide that changes in his team were necessary, Bush said it was down to "nothing other than the magnitude of the journey".
Four states will hold nominating contests in February and a flurry of other states will follow in March. Bush said it was necessary to think about how to organize to prepare for the political calendar, develop a message and a schedule.
"It's a pretty overwhelming challenge and so I decided to kind of split up the duties and David has got great success in these early states, particularly Iowa. He also has got a great strategic demand and Danny's a grinder," he said.
Polls show Bush has fallen from front-runner status to the middle of the pack in the crowded Republican field despite his financial advantage and famous last name, as the brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush.
"I know that I'm going to have to go earn this; it's a lot of work and I'm excited about the prospects of this. It's a long haul; you start whenever you start and you end a long way away from where we are today," he said.