Missouri state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, now a candidate for governor, announced this morning that she’s hired “two nationally respected political consultants to her team.”

They are:

–Doug McAuliffe of McAuliffe Message Media, who will serve as the media consultant.

–Glen Bolger , who has signed on be her chief pollster.

Said Steelman’s release: “McAuliffe Message Media has earned a reputation as one of the nation’s most prestigious political media firms, having a resume boasting the likes of The Republican National Committee and President George W. Bush; Senators Kit Bond, John Ashcroft and 21 other U.S. Senate wins; 7 gubernatorial wins; and an overall 90% winning percentage.

“Sarah Steelman is one of the strongest leaders I’ve seen run for Governor,” said McAuliffe in a statement.  “Her powerful record as a fiscal and social conservative as well as her strengths in attracting independent and suburban voters will bode very well for her and the entire Republican ticket this fall.”

Bolger is praised as “one of the Republican Party’s leading political strategists and pollsters. He is a partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, a national political and public affairs survey research firm whose clients include leading political figures, Fortune 500 companies, and major associations. Public Opinion Strategies has 20 U.S. Senators, eight governors, and more than 50 Members of Congress as clients.”

The release quotes Roll Call newspaper, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, as portraying Glen as “the pollster of choice for Republicans.”

“I’ve had the pleasure to work for a lot of candidates, and Sarah Steelman is one of the most accomplished and resolute I have seen,” said Bolger in a statement. “Her strength on the issues that matter and resonate with voters is clear and consistent.  Steelman is a leader – her sponsorship of Missouri’s Marriage Amendment, her courageous efforts to stop the use of illegal workers on state jobsites, and her trailblazing work to cut off taxpayer money going to fund terrorism which has been emulated not just in other states, but by the federal government itself, are just a few examples.  I am proud to join her team.”

Both consultants are likely pretty costly, and will require Steelman to ramp up her fundraising.