No staff shakeup. No calls to the bullpen. No relocation of headquarters.

Remarkably, the same close-knit Texas band that was with Bush two years ago -- long before the first GOP primary -- is still steering his campaign today.

And while many prominent Republicans are voicing concerns about Al Gore's advance, few in the GOP hierarchy are betting against the Austin crew's ability to weather the storm. They've done it before.

Among the stalwarts:

Don Evans, 54, the campaign chairman, has been a close Bush friend since their Midland, Texas, days in the early 1970s. The oilman and veteran fund-raiser -- he helped raise a record $100 million for Texas Gov. Bush's presidential bid -- will be the campaign's lead negotiator this week on debates.

Karl Rove, 49, Bush's chief political strategist and a major figure in Texas politics, has been with Bush in every race since a 1978 congressional bid. Rove has been dubbed "Bush's brain" by some Bush detractors.

Joe Allbaugh, 48, the campaign manager, is an imposing figure, at 6 feet 4 inches with a flat-top haircut. Allbaugh shies from media attention but runs the campaign with a firm hand. He managed Bush's first gubernatorial campaign in 1994 and served as his chief of staff.

Karen Hughes, 43, is Bush's communications director and one of his closest advisers. Nearly always by his side, Hughes deals daily with reporters and makes frequent appearances on Sunday talk shows.A former Fort Worth television reporter, she has been with Bush since 1994.

Mark McKinnon, 45, has been the campaign's in-house ad maker since 1998. His former clients included former Gov. Ann Richards, defeated by Bush in 1994. He also owns a nightclub in Austin.

Bush's slipping numbers have alarmed many seasoned party veterans. "There's not a single one of us that's not discouraged," said longtime Florida GOP activist Tom Slade.

Concerned Republicans have complained privately about being shunned on decisions over television ads and debate strategy. And some figures from the Reagan and elder Bush years have privately urged Bush not to rely so heavily on the Texas crew -- none of whom had previous major national campaign experience.

But Bush has stuck by them -- last summer when questions about his past were raised and again last winter after his primary losses to Sen. John McCain -- and they've returned the loyalty.

Hughes said the campaign should rebound but conceded there has been criticism from some party leaders, but calls it mostly constructive.

"I'm bewildered" by reports of a rift between Austin and the Republican National Committee, she said. "I think we have reached out to a lot of the people in Washington."

The GOP dissension comes as the Bush campaign shifts gears to confront the new realities of a dead-even race.

Late last week, Bush returned to primary-style events featuring more interaction with average Americans. And he took steps to more clearly explain his $1.3 trillion tax-cut and other proposals.

Both the RNC and the campaign began running ads more openly critical of Gore. And Bush abandoned his refusal to do more than one bipartisan commission-sponsored debate -- a strategy some Republicans felt was backfiring.

Some of the grousing in Washington may reflect sour grapes by those relegated to the sidelines. As in the past, the winning candidate moved quickly to seize control of the party apparatus once the nomination was bagged.

"The RNC and Governor Bush have always and will continue to work in tandem to expose Al Gore's flip-flops and truth-twists. And over the next two months, we will continue to work closely together," said Mark Pfeifle, a spokesman for party Chairman Jim Nicholson.

Bush retained Nicholson and installed his loyalists Fred Meyer, Maria Cino and Ray Hunt in key posts at the RNC.

Bush also has reached out to prominent members of his father's administration -- most notably Condoleezza Rice, a former National Security Council official; retired Gen. Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and economist Lawrence Lindsey, a former Federal Reserve governor.

Powell, who campaigned at Bush's side last week, said he's not troubled by the makeup of Bush's inner circle.

Furthermore, Bush partisans point out, not all members of the inner circle have Texas ties. Policy director Josh Bolton, the son of a CIA official, was raised in Washington, D.C., and worked in various posts under Bush's father.

And the campaign confers regularly with Republican veterans Charles Black, Haley Barbour and Mary Matalin. It also recently offered a job to Washington-based consultant Ed Gillespie.

"The guys in Austin get a bad rap," said Black, who worked for both Reagan and the elder Bush. He said that for the most part the Texas team "has done extremely well."

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge agreed, saying: "The team managed difficult primary victories. It's seasoned and it's on target on message."