Yes, it matters who a person surrounds himself with...etc., but Abraham’s job is campaign manager. Why do you think Fred picked him?
perhaps for the same reason Rudy picked Vitter. They (rudy and fred) didn’t know what they were doing.
Probably to manage the campaign?
Just guessing here.
I was surprised at the choice, but Spence did do a great job building the Michigan GOP, so I would bet he'll be very good for building the national and state Fred organizations.
Spence Abraham is one of the best party organizers around. He took Michigan from a solid Democratic state to one where we had control of both houses, the governorship, control of the four state-wide elected education boards, the Supreme Court (which is nominated by party convention and elected statewide) and one of the two US Senators. Unfortunately, under the Peter Principle, he was elevated from party chairman to Senator, where his performance suffered.
As part of the package, Thompson gets his wife, Jane, who is Co-Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. She was a major worker at the RNC in the early 1990's overseeing state and local operations. This will give contacts throughout the US.