BATON ROUGE (AP) — The Republican National Committee is bolstering Louisiana GOP efforts to oust U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

The RNC has paid to hire a state director for the Republican Party of Louisiana, as part of its ongoing work to defeat Landrieu, a Democrat seeking a fourth term in office, in the 2014 Senate race.

Chris Young is the first state director the RNC has placed in Louisiana, according to Ryan Cross, a spokesman for the state GOP.

The announcement Wednesday of Young’s hiring comes as the GOP readies for a 100-stop, statewide tour that begins Aug. 16.

Young previously worked for Gov. Bobby Jindal’s gubernatorial campaigns, and he was Jindal’s deputy director for legislative affairs during the most recent legislative session. He’s also worked for the RNC in Nevada.