Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Washington (AP) - President Barack Obama is shifting senior
White House staffers to his hometown of Chicago and opening a
campaign headquarters there as he steps up preparations for the
formal launch of his re-election bid this spring.


      The moves, widely reported for weeks though confirmed by the
White House for the first time Thursday, open a new chapter in
Obama's presidency; he will juggle dual roles of candidate and
president for the remainder of his first term.


      As aides ramped up preparations for 2012, outgoing White House
spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that the president will soon
file papers with the Federal Election Commission to formally
declare his candidacy. Officials say fundraising and grass-roots
organizing is to begin in March or April.


      "We've made progress on getting the economy back in order and I think the president wants to continue to do that," Gibbs said.
 

     Thus, Obama is starting to execute a campaign plan that's been
in the works for months. Under it:


      Obama's deputy chief of staff Jim Messina will leave the White
House to serve as campaign manager. Aides say he's looking for
office space in downtown Chicago, and reaching out to potential
campaign donors and consultants.


      White House social secretary Juliana Smoot and Democratic
National Committee executive director Jennifer O'Malley Dillon will
serve as deputy campaign managers. Both are veterans of the 2008
campaign, with Smoot having served as finance director and Dillon
focusing on battleground states.


      As the campaign approaches, the White House plans to close its
political affairs office and move its functions to the DNC. White
House political director Patrick Gaspard will join the DNC as
executive director; former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine will continue to
serve as the committee's chairman.


      Gibbs said dismantling the White House political wing was "a
matter of duplication and efficiency that makes a lot of sense."


      However, Gibbs said he doesn't expect the president to be
hitting the campaign trail anytime soon.

      "Just because the president sets up the machinery of ultimately
running for re-election does not mean that you're going to see the
president doing a ton of political reelection events," he said.


      The developments are a part of broader White House changes as
Obama prepares for his re-election race.


      David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager in 2008, recently joined the White House; senior adviser David Axelrod plans to join the campaign in Chicago and Gibbs is to serve as a consultant.
      


      Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Liz Sidoti contributed to this report.
      

Gallery

Politics and Government News

President Barack Obama is shifting senior
White House staffers to his hometown of Chicago and opening a
campaign headquarters there as he steps up preparations for the
formal launch of his re-election bid this spring.

Obama ramping up 2012 reelection campaign, opening campaign HQ in Chicago

Go Deeper.

Like this?