David Axelrod Leaving White House In 2011: Will Work On Obama's Re-Election Campaign
White House senior advisor David Axelrod is coming back to Chicago in 2011--where he will work on President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.
A White House aide told the Chicago Tribune that Axelrod will remain in his current position until "well into 2011,'' but then heads back to Chicago, where his wife still lives.
From the Tribune:
Axelrod, who calls himself a "Chicagoan on assignment,'' has long made clear he missed his hometown and would return before the end of the four-year term.. . .
One of Obama's most trusted aides, Axelrod occupies a small office just steps from the Oval Office. On a wall in Axelrod's office hangs a picture of the White House drawn by his daughter. The Chicago skyline is shown in the reflecting pool.
CBS Chicago reports that Axelrod will likely leave Washington in the Spring, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs could replace him as senior advisor to the president.
The news of Axelrod's looming departure comes as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel appears closer to announcing his bid for mayor of Chicago.
Emanuel has been meeting with a number of Chicago politicians about a potential bid after Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that he would not seek a seventh term two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Rep. Danny Davis told Chicago Public Radio that he was "90 percent sure" Emanuel would run following a meeting with him. On Thursday, the New York Times cited White House sources that predicted Emanuel could leave in "two weeks--or less."
"Axelrod's departure is not connected to Emanuel's prospective mayoral campaign," CBS 2 Chicago reports.
Axelrod worked on President Obama's 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Illinois and was chief strategist for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Before that, he was a strategist for late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington as well as Mayor Daley. He also worked as a reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune in the late 70s and early 80s.
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First Posted: 09/23/10 06:03 PM ET Updated: 05/25/11 06:50 PM ET