David Axelrod (political consultant)

American political consultant (born 1955)

David Axelrod
Axelrod in 2015
Senior Advisor to the President
In office
January 20, 2009 – January 10, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byBarry Jackson
Succeeded byDavid Plouffe
Personal details
Born (1955-02-22) February 22, 1955 (age 69)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Susan Landau
​
(m. 1979)​
Children3
Parent
  • Myril Axelrod Bennett (mother)
EducationUniversity of Chicago (BA)

David M. Axelrod (born February 22, 1955) is an American political consultant, analyst, and former White House official. He is best known for being the chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. After Obama's election, Axelrod was appointed as Senior Advisor to the President.[1][2] He left the position in early 2011 and became the Senior Strategist for Obama's successful re-election campaign in 2012.[3][4] Axelrod wrote for the Chicago Tribune, and joined CNN as Senior Political Commentator in 2015.[5] Until recently, Axelrod served as the director of the non-partisan University of Chicago Institute of Politics.[6] His memoir is titled Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.[1][5][7]

Early life

Axelrod was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, and grew up in its Stuyvesant Town area.[1][8][9] He was raised in a liberal Jewish family[10][11] and had his bar mitzvah ceremony at the Brotherhood Synagogue in Manhattan.[12] His mother, Myril Bennett (née Davidson), was a journalist at PM, a liberal-leaning 1940s newspaper, and later an advertising executive at Young & Rubicam.[13] His father, Joseph Axelrod, was a psychologist and avid baseball fan, who emigrated from Eastern Europe to the United States at the age of eleven.[14][15][16][17][18] He attended Public School 40 in Manhattan. Axelrod's parents separated when he was eight years old. In 2021, Axelrod disclosed in a CNN op-ed that his father suffered from severe clinical depression, unbeknownst at the time to the family, which led to his suicide when the younger Axelrod was 20.[19]

Describing the appeal of politics, he told the Los Angeles Times, "I got into politics because I believe in idealism. Just to be a part of this effort that seems to be rekindling the kind of idealism that I knew when I was a kid, it's a great thing to do. So I find myself getting very emotional about it."[20] At thirteen years old, he was selling campaign buttons for Robert F. Kennedy. After graduating from New York's Stuyvesant High School[15] in 1972, Axelrod attended the University of Chicago, where he majored in political science.[21] Axelrod described his childhood as "very turbulent", although he did not specify the exact details that elicited this characterization.[19]

As an undergraduate, Axelrod wrote for the Hyde Park Herald, covering politics, and earned an internship at the Chicago Tribune.

Personal life

Axelrod lost his father to suicide in 1977, around the time of his college graduation.[22]

While at the University of Chicago he met his future wife, business student Susan Landau (daughter of physician-scientist Richard L. Landau),[23] and they married in 1979.

In June 1981, they had their first child, a daughter.[24] She was diagnosed with epilepsy at seven months of age.[25] Axelrod describes Lauren as having had brutal seizures, requiring a constantly changing regimen of medications for some time. This left her developmentally disabled, but nevertheless mainstreamed in school.[24] For a few years after high school, the family struggled to find programs that would keep her happy and fulfilled, but were able to place her in Misericordia, a large dormitory-style group home in 2002, where she leads an active life.[24] As of 2021[update], Axelrod advocates for a flexible, mixed approach to group homes that support environments for people like his daughter, in contrast to the common approach of exclusively moving toward smaller group homes.[24]

The Axelrods have two other children.

Career

Prior to first Obama campaign

The Chicago Tribune hired Axelrod after his graduation from college. He worked there for eight years, covering national, state and local politics, becoming their youngest political writer in 1981. At 27, he became the City Hall Bureau Chief and a political columnist for the paper.[26] He left the Tribune and joined the campaign of U.S. Senator Paul Simon as communications director in 1984. Within weeks he was promoted to co-campaign manager.[27]

In 1985, Axelrod formed the political consultancy firm, Axelrod & Associates. During the 1986 Illinois gubernatorial election, he was hired by the campaign of then-Attorney General Neil Hartigan, but switched to work for former Senator Adlai Stevenson III when he entered the Democratic primary.[28] In 1987 he worked on the successful reelection campaign of Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, while spearheading Simon's campaign for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination. This established his experience in working with black politicians; he later became a key player in similar mayoral campaigns of black candidates, including Dennis Archer in Detroit, Michael R. White in Cleveland, Anthony A. Williams in Washington, D.C., Lee P. Brown in Houston, and John F. Street in Philadelphia.[22] Axelrod is a longtime strategist for the former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley[29] and styles himself a "specialist in urban politics." The Economist notes he also specializes in "packaging black candidates for white voters".[29]

In January 1990, Axelrod was hired to be the media consultant for the all but official re-election campaign of Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt.[30] However, in February Goldschmidt decided not to seek re-election.[31] Axelrod was retained by the Liberal Party of Ontario to help Dalton McGuinty and his party in 2002 to be elected into government in the October 2003 election. Axelrod's effect on Ontario was heard through the winning Liberal appeal to "working families" and placing an emphasis on positive policy contrasts like canceling corporate tax breaks to fund education and health.[32]

In 2004, Axelrod worked for John Edwards' presidential campaign. He lost responsibility for making ads, but continued as the campaign's spokesman. Regarding Edwards' failed 2004 presidential campaign, Axelrod has commented, "I have a whole lot of respect for John, but at some point the candidate has to close the deal and—I can't tell you why—that never happened with John."[33][34]

Axelrod worked as a consultant for Exelon, an Illinois-area utility which operated the largest fleet of nuclear reactors in the United States.[35][36]

Axelrod contributed an op-ed to the Chicago Tribune in defense of patronage after two top officials in the administration of longtime client Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley were arrested for what federal prosecutors described as "pervasive fraud" in City Hall hiring and promotions.[37][38] In 2006, he consulted for several campaigns, including the successful campaigns of Eliot Spitzer in New York's gubernatorial election and Deval Patrick in Massachusetts's gubernatorial election. Also in 2006, Axelrod served as the chief political adviser for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel for the U.S. House of Representatives elections, in which the Democrats gained 31 seats.

He was an adjunct professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University, where, along with Professor Peter Miller, he taught an undergraduate class titled Campaign Strategy, analyzing political campaigns, and their strategies.[39] On June 14, 2009, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from DePaul University, speaking at the commencement exercises of the College of Communication and College of Computing and Digital Media.[40]

Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008

Axelrod first met Obama in 1992, when Bettylu Saltzman, a Chicago Democrat, introduced the two of them after Obama had impressed her at a black voter registration drive that he ran. Obama consulted Axelrod before he delivered a 2002 anti-war speech,[41] and asked him to read drafts of his book The Audacity of Hope.[42]

Axelrod contemplated taking a break from politics during the 2008 presidential campaign, as five of the candidates—Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Tom Vilsack—were past clients. Personal ties between Axelrod and Hillary Clinton made it difficult, as she had raised significant funds for epilepsy on behalf of a foundation co-founded by Axelrod's wife and mother, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE). (Axelrod's daughter suffers from developmental disabilities associated with chronic epileptic seizures.) Axelrod's wife even said that a 1999 conference Clinton convened to find a cure for the condition was "one of the most important things anyone has done for epilepsy."[43] Axelrod ultimately decided to participate in the Obama campaign, and served as chief strategist and media advisor for Obama. He told The Washington Post, "I thought that if I could help Barack Obama get to Washington, then I would have accomplished something great in my life."[15]

Axelrod contributed to the start of Obama's campaign by creating a five-minute Internet video released January 16, 2007.[44][45] He continued to use "man on the street"-style biographical videos to create a sense of intimacy and authenticity in the political ads.

Axelrod talking to reporters in the "spin room" after the Cleveland Democratic debate in February 2008

While the Clinton campaign chose a strategy that emphasized experience, Axelrod helped to craft the Obama campaign's main theme of "change." He was critical of the Clinton campaign's positioning, and said that "being the consummate Washington insider is not where you want to be in a year when people want change...[Clinton's] initial strategic positioning was wrong and kind of played into our hands."[46] The change message played a factor in Obama's victory in the Iowa caucuses. "Just over half of [Iowa's] Democratic caucus-goers said change was the No. 1 factor they were looking for in a candidate, and 51 percent of those voters chose Barack Obama," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. "That compares to only 19 percent of 'change' caucus-goers who preferred Clinton."[47] Axelrod also believed that the Clinton campaign underestimated the importance of the caucus states. "For all the talent and the money they had over there," says Axelrod, "they—bewilderingly—seemed to have little understanding for the caucuses and how important they would become."[47] In the 2008 primary season, Obama won a majority of the states that use the caucus format.

Axelrod is credited with implementing a strategy that encourages the participation of people, a lesson drawn partly from Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign as well as a personal goal of Barack Obama. Axelrod explained to Rolling Stone, "When we started this race, Barack told us that he wanted the campaign to be a vehicle for involving people and giving them a stake in the kind of organizing he believed in". According to Axelrod, getting volunteers involved became the legacy of the campaign.[48] This includes drawing on "Web 2.0" technology and viral media to support a grassroots strategy. Obama's web platform allows supporters to blog, create their own personal page, and even phonebank from home. Axelrod's elaborate use of the Internet helped Obama to organize under-30 voters and build over 475,000 donors in 2007, most of whom were Internet donors contributing less than $100 each.[49] The Obama strategy stood in contrast to Hillary Clinton's campaign, which benefited from high name recognition, large donors and strong support among established Democratic leaders.

Politico described Axelrod as 'soft-spoken' and 'mild-mannered'[50] and it quoted one Obama aide in Chicago as saying, "Do you know how lucky we are that he is our Mark Penn?"[51] Democratic consultant and former colleague Dan Fee said of Axelrod, "He's a calming presence."[52] "He's not a screamer, like some of these guys," political advisor Bill Daley said of Axelrod in the Chicago Tribune. "He has a good sense of humor, so he's able to defuse things."[53] In June 2008, The New York Times described Axelrod as a "campaign guru" with an "appreciation for Chicago-style politics."[54]

Senior Advisor to the President, 2009–11

Axelrod with President Barack Obama

On November 20, 2008, Obama named Axelrod as a senior advisor to his administration. His role included crafting policy and communicating the President's message in coordination with President Obama, the Obama Administration, speechwriters, and the White House communications team.[55][56]

Foreclosure scandal

When details of the 2010 United States foreclosure crisis were publicized in 2010, notably robo-signing, Axelrod was widely criticized for downplaying the magnitude of the crisis in his comments to the press,[57][58] telling the audience of CBS News' Face the Nation that the Obama administration's "hope is this moves rapidly and that this gets unwound very, very quickly" and that he's "not sure that a national moratorium" is called for since "there are in fact valid foreclosures that probably should go forward."[59] Notably, Axelrod made this statement after several banks had voluntarily suspended foreclosures and evictions in order to investigate improprieties.[60]

Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012

Axelrod left his White House senior advisor post on January 28, 2011. He was a top aide to Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.[3][4] Axelrod stated that his job as Obama's chief campaign strategist in the 2012 campaign would be his final job as a political operative.[61]

After second Obama campaign

Axelrod in Chicago in 2016

In January 2013, Axelrod established a bipartisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, where he serves as director.[62] On January 23, 2013, La Stampa reported that Axelrod was helping Italian prime minister Mario Monti with his election campaign and had flown to Italy to meet with Monti ten days earlier.[63] Monti's coalition went on to come fourth with 10.5% of the vote in the Italian general election, 2013. On February 19, 2013, Axelrod joined NBC News and MSNBC as a senior political analyst,[citation needed] a position he held until September 2015 when he moved to CNN.

In 2014 Axelrod was appointed senior strategic adviser to the British Labour Party to assist party leader Ed Miliband in the run-up to the 2015 general election.[64]

He is the co-founder of AKPD Message and Media, along with Eric Sedler, and operated ASK Public Strategies, now called ASGK Public Strategies, which were sold in 2009. In February 2015 Axelrod's book Believer: My Forty Years in Politics was published.[65][failed verification]

In 2015, Axelrod began hosting a podcast titled The Axe Files Archived April 5, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, a series of in-depth discussions and interviews with various political figures.[66] In June 2019[67] he started the podcast Hacks on Tap with co-host Mike Murphy, a show where the two discuss news and updates from the 2020 presidential campaign trail.[68] He also joined CNN as a senior political commentator in September, 2015.[69]

In 2018, Axelrod vocally opposed Democratic support for impeachment, arguing that if "we “normalize” impeachment as a political tool, it will be another hammer blow to our democracy".[70]

In 2022, he announced his intention[clarification needed] to retire as director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, and become a senior fellow and chair of its advisory board, effective January 2023. UChicago President Paul Alivisatos said of his tenure that "David’s leadership of the IOP has driven its incredible growth and success over the past decade."[71]

References

  1. ^ a b c Chozick, Amy; Axelrod, David (February 15, 2015). "When He Walks Out of That Building, I Don't Think He's Gonna Look Back". The New York Times Magazine. p. 14. ISSN 0028-7822. Gale A401653703 – via Cengage.
  2. ^ Smith, Ben (November 19, 2008). "Ben Smith's Blog: Axelrod, and other senior staff". Politico. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b MacCallum, Martha (February 2, 2011). "Axelrod Departs the White House, Prepares for New Mission to Re-Elect Obama". FoxNews.com. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Walsh, Ken (November 12, 2012). "The Election's Other Big Winner: David Axelrod". US News.
  5. ^ a b LoBianco, Tom (September 3, 2015). "Former Obama adviser Axelrod joining CNN". CNN Politics.
  6. ^ "Staff". University of Chicago Institute of Politics. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  7. ^ Believer: My Forty Years in Politics. Penguin Random House. February 2, 2016. ISBN 9780143128359. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Saul, Michael (June 22, 2008). "David Axelrod is a New York City boy who has Barack Obama's ear". Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 15, 2011. "Perched atop a mailbox near his family's apartment in Stuyvesant Town, 5-year-old David Axelrod watched intently as a charismatic John F. Kennedy rallied New Yorkers for his presidential campaign in the fall of 1960.
  9. ^ Jonas, Ilaina; Gralla, Joan (October 22, 2009). "NY court rules against Stuyvesant Town owners". Reuters. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
  10. ^ MacAskill, Ewen (May 22, 2008). "He can be cut-throat. He believes that if you're in a race, you beat the other side by almost any means necessary". The Guardian. Although Chicago is home, Axelrod, 53, was born in New York's Lower East Side, into a leftwing Jewish family, his mother a journalist and his father a psychologist.
  11. ^ Kampeas, Ron (June 3, 2015). "How Bibi Alienated All His Jewish Allies at the White House". The Jewish Daily Forward.
  12. ^ Rubin, Bonnie Miller (July 31, 2017). "How David Axelrod Stays True to His Jewish Roots". Haaretz.
  13. ^ "Myril Axelrod Bennett Obituary". News Times. Danbury, Connecticut. January 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  14. ^ Instaread (March 5, 2015). Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod | A 15-minute Summary & Analysis: My Forty Years in Politics. Instaread Summaries.
  15. ^ a b c Kaiser, Robert G. (May 2, 2008). "The Player at Bat – David Axelrod, the Man With Obama's Game Plan, Is Also the Candidate's No. 1 Fan". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  16. ^ Haq, Husna (February 15, 2009). "A Newton mother's pride in Obama adviser David Axelrod – The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  17. ^ "The Agony and the Agony". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. June 24, 2007. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  18. ^ Bell, Debra (December 2, 2008). "10 Things You Didn't Know About David Axelrod". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Opinion: David Axelrod: I'm sharing my father's story to help end a stigma". CNN. May 14, 2021.
  20. ^ La Ganga, Maria L. (February 15, 2008). "The man behind Obama's message". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  21. ^ Greene, Melissa Fay (February 6, 2007). "Obama's Media Maven". The Nation.
  22. ^ a b Hayes, Chris (February 6, 2007). "Obama's Media Maven". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  23. ^ O'Donnell, Maureen (June 24, 2016). "U. of C. Dr. Richard L. Landau, in-law to David Axelrod, dead at 99". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  24. ^ a b c d Axelrod, David (July 4, 2021). "Opinion | When It Comes to People Like My Daughter, One Size Does Not Fit All". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  25. ^ "I Must Save My Child". Parade Magazine. February 15, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  26. ^ "Partners—David Axelrod". AKPD Message and Media. Archived from the original on November 8, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  27. ^ Reardon, Patrick T. (June 24, 2007). "The Agony and the Agony". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  28. ^ "Hatchet Man: The Rise of David Axelrod". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "The Ax-man Cometh". The Economist U.S. edition. August 23, 2008. p. 28.
  30. ^ Box 203 of Goldschmidt's records is no longer an active page; Box 203 of Goldschmidt's records are here but not apparently easily searchable.
  31. ^ Jaquiss, Nigel (May 12, 2004). "The 30-Year Secret: A crime, a cover-up and the way it shaped Oregon". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  32. ^ Benzie, Robert (January 14, 2008). "McGuinty and Obama share strategist". The Star. Toronto.
  33. ^ Montgomery, David (February 15, 2007). "Barack Obama's On-Point Message Man". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  34. ^ Wallace-Wells, Ben (April 1, 2007). "Obama's Narrator". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  35. ^ Fahey, Jonathan. "Exelon's Carbon Advantage". Forbes. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  36. ^ "Axelrod" (PDF). online.wsj.com.
  37. ^ Axelrod, David (August 21, 2005). "A Well-oiled Machine; A system that works? Political debts contribute to better city services". Chicago Tribune.
  38. ^ Rhodes, Steve (January 7, 2010) [October 13, 2008]. "An Axelrod to Grind". Los Angeles: KNBC.
  39. ^ "Senior Advisor David Axelrod". whitehouse.gov. White House. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009.
  40. ^ Commencement '09[permanent dead link] DePaul University Newsline Online, May 20, 2009
  41. ^ Becker, Jo; Christopher Drew (May 11, 2008). "Obama's Pragmatic Politics, Forged on the South Side". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  42. ^ Scott, Janny (May 18, 2008). "Obama's Story, Written by Obama". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2008.
  43. ^ Wallace-Wells, Ben (March 30, 2007). "A star strategist offers Democrats a new vision". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  44. ^ "Biography of Barack Obama" (Video from Barack Obama's exploratory committee). YouTube. January 16, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021.
  45. ^ Obama, Barack (January 16, 2007). "My Plans for 2008" (Obama's YouTube video announcement of that he would file papers on January 16, 2007 to form an exploratory committee). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  46. ^ Tumulty, Karen (May 8, 2008). "The Five Mistakes Clinton Made". Time. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  47. ^ a b Crowley, Candy (January 4, 2008). "Obama wins Iowa as candidate for change". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  48. ^ Dickinson, Tim (March 20, 2008). "The Machinery of Hope". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  49. ^ Stirland, Sarah Lai (February 14, 2008). "The Tech of Obamamania: Online Phone Banks, Mass Texting and Blogs". Wired. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  50. ^ Simon, Roger (March 20, 2007). "The Democrats Turn Tough—on Each Other". Politico.com. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  51. ^ Brown, Carrie Budoff (April 27, 2008). "Obama team remains unshaken and unstirred". Politico.com. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  52. ^ Fitzgerald, Thomas (December 30, 2007). "Helping hone Obama's pitch". Politico.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  53. ^ Reardon, Patrick T. (June 24, 2007). "The Agony and the Agony". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  54. ^ Powell, Michael (June 4, 2008). "Calm in the Swirl of History". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  55. ^ "Obama 'to unveil economic team'". November 24, 2008 – via bbc.co.uk.
  56. ^ "Axelrod to join Obama White House".
  57. ^ Connor, Kevin (January 7, 2011). "The Foreclosure Fraud Scandal Just Got Harder to Ignore". Eyes on the Ties. Public Accountability Initiative.
  58. ^ Tkacik, Moe (October 11, 2010). "5 Things David Axelrod Must Have Missed About The Foreclosure Thing". Washington City Paper. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  59. ^ "Axelrod signals White House opposition to foreclosure moratorium - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  60. ^ Binyamin Appelbaum: A Foreclosure Tightrope for Democrats. New York Times, Oct. 11, 2010.
  61. ^ Libit, Daniel (September 2011). "David Axelrod's Last Campaign". Chicago magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  62. ^ Johnson, Dirk (January 9, 2013). "David Axelrod on His Move to the University of Chicago". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  63. ^ Molinari, Maurizio (January 23, 2013). "New Client For Obama Guru Axelrod: Italian PM Mario Monti, In Showdown With Berlusconi". La Stampa. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  64. ^ Wintour, Patrick (April 17, 2014). "Ed Miliband signs up top Obama adviser David Axelrod for UK election". theguardian.com. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  65. ^ Rifkin, Jesse. "David Axelrod Book Reveals Behind-The-Scenes Drama Of Obama Campaign And Presidency". Huffington Post.
  66. ^ "The Axe Files with David Axelrod". politics.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  67. ^ "Biden plays Hyde and go seek, Warren rising in Iowa". Hacks on Tap. June 11, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  68. ^ "About". Hacks on Tap. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  69. ^ "Former Obama adviser Axelrod joining CNN as senior political commentator". CNN. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  70. ^ Vazquez, Maegan (April 9, 2018). "Axelrod, Steyer spar over Dems' impeachment calls". CNN. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  71. ^ "David Axelrod to step down from role as director of UChicago's Institute of Politics in 2023". news.uchicago.edu. University of Chicago. February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Axelrod.
  • AKPD Media
  • ASGK Public Strategies
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • David Axelrod on Charlie Rose
  • David Axelrod collected news and commentary at The New York Times
  • "The Agony and the Agony", Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune, June 24, 2007
  • Profile: David Axelrod, Ned Temko, The Guardian, July 27, 2008
  • "Long by Obama's Side, an Adviser Fills a Role That Exceeds His Title", Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times, October 26, 2008
  • "President's Political Protector Is Ever Close at Hand", Jeff Zeleny, The New York Times, March 8, 2009
  • The Axe Files Archived January 26, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Axelrod's podcast.
  • David Axelrod on the Muck Rack journalist listing site Edit this at Wikidata
Political offices
Preceded by Senior Advisor to the President
2009–2011
Served alongside: Valerie Jarrett, Pete Rouse 		Succeeded by
  • v
  • t
  • e
  • v
  • t
  • e
Office Name Term Office Name Term
Secretary of State John Kerry 2013–2017 Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew 2013–2017
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter 2015–2017 Attorney General Loretta Lynch 2015–2017
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell 2013–2017 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 2009–2017
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker 2013–2017 Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez 2013–2017
Secretary of Health and
  Human Services		 Sylvia Mathews Burwell 2014–2017 Secretary of Education
Secretary of Transportation		 John King Jr.
Anthony Foxx		 2016–2017
2013–2017
Secretary of Housing and Urban
  Development		 Julian Castro 2014–2017 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald 2014–2017
Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz 2013–2017 Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson 2013–2017
Vice President Joe Biden 2009–2017 White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough 2013–2017
Director of the Office of Management and
  Budget		 Shaun Donovan 2014–2017 Administrator of the Environmental
  Protection Agency		 Gina McCarthy 2013–2017
Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power 2013–2017 Chair of the Council of Economic
  Advisers		 Jason Furman 2013–2017
Trade Representative Michael Froman 2013–2017 Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet 2014–2017
Below solid line: Granted Cabinet rank although not automatically part of the Cabinet. See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet
  • v
  • t
  • e
Office Name Term Office Name Term
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 2009–10 National Security Advisor James L. Jones 2009–10
Pete Rouse 2010–11 Thomas E. Donilon 2010–13
William M. Daley 2011–12 Susan Rice 2013–17
Jack Lew 2012–13 Deputy National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon 2009–10
Denis McDonough 2013–17 Denis McDonough 2010–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Mona Sutphen 2009–11 Antony Blinken 2013–14
Nancy-Ann DeParle 2011–13 Avril Haines 2015–17
Rob Nabors 2013–15 Dep. National Security Advisor, Homeland Security John O. Brennan 2009–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Jim Messina 2009–11 Lisa Monaco 2013–17
Alyssa Mastromonaco 2011–14 Dep. National Security Advisor, Iraq and Afghanistan Douglas Lute† 2009–13
Anita Decker Breckenridge 2014–17 Dep. National Security Advisor, Strategic Comm. Ben Rhodes 2009–17
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning Mark B. Childress 2012–14 Dep. National Security Advisor, Chief of Staff Mark Lippert 2009
Kristie Canegallo 2014–17 Denis McDonough 2009–10
Counselor to the President Pete Rouse 2011–13 Brooke D. Anderson 2011–12
John Podesta 2014–15 White House Communications Director Ellen Moran 2009
Senior Advisor to the President David Axelrod 2009–11 Anita Dunn 2009
David Plouffe 2011–13 Daniel Pfeiffer 2009–13
Daniel Pfeiffer 2013–15 Jennifer Palmieri 2013–15
Shailagh Murray 2015–17 Jen Psaki 2015–17
Senior Advisor to the President Pete Rouse 2009–10 Deputy White House Communications Director Jen Psaki 2009–11
Brian Deese 2015–17 Jennifer Palmieri 2011–14
Senior Advisor to the President and Valerie Jarrett 2009–17 Amy Brundage 2014–16
Assistant to the President for Liz Allen 2016–17
Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs 2009–11
Director, Public Engagement Tina Tchen 2009–11 Jay Carney 2011–13
Jon Carson 2011–13 Josh Earnest 2013–17
Paulette L. Aniskoff 2013–17 Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton 2009–11
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz 2009–12 Josh Earnest 2011–13
David Agnew 2012–14 Eric Schultz 2014–17
Jerry Abramson 2014–17 Director of Special Projects Stephanie Cutter 2010–11
Director, National Economic Council Lawrence Summers 2009–10 Director, Speechwriting Jon Favreau 2009–13
Gene Sperling 2011–14 Cody Keenan 2013–17
Jeff Zients 2014–17 Director, Digital Strategy Macon Phillips 2009–13
Chair, Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer 2009–10 Chief Digital Officer Jason Goldman 2015–17
Austan Goolsbee 2010–13 Director, Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro 2009–11
Jason Furman 2013–17 Rob Nabors 2011–13
Chair, Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker 2009–11 Katie Beirne Fallon 2013–16
Chair, Council on Jobs and Competitiveness Jeff Immelt 2011–13 Miguel Rodriguez 2016
Director, Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes 2009–12 Amy Rosenbaum 2016–17
Cecilia Muñoz 2012–17 Director, Political Affairs Patrick Gaspard 2009–11
Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois 2009–13 David Simas 2011–16
Melissa Rogers 2013–17 Director, Presidential Personnel Nancy Hogan 2009–13
Director, Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle 2009–11 Johnathan D. McBride 2013–14
Director, Office of National AIDS Policy Jeffrey Crowley 2009–11 Valerie E. Green 2014–15
Grant N. Colfax 2011–13 Rodin A. Mehrbani 2016–17
Douglas M. Brooks 2013–17 White House Staff Secretary Lisa Brown 2009–11
Director, Office of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrión Jr. 2009–10 Rajesh De 2011–12
Racquel S. Russell 2010–14 Douglas Kramer 2012–13
Roy Austin Jr. 2014–17 Joani Walsh 2014–17
Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy Carol Browner 2009–11 Director, Management and Administration Bradley J. Kiley 2009–11
White House Counsel Greg Craig 2009–10 Katy A. Kale 2011–15
Bob Bauer 2010–11 Maju Varghese 2015–17
Kathryn Ruemmler 2011–14 Director, Scheduling and Advance Alyssa Mastromonaco 2009–11
Neil Eggleston 2014–17 Danielle Crutchfield 2011–14
White House Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu 2009–13 Chase Cushman 2014–17
Danielle C. Gray 2013–14 Director, White House Information Technology David Recordon 2015–17
Broderick D. Johnson 2014–17 Director, Office of Administration Cameron Moody 2009–11
Personal Aide to the President Reggie Love 2009–11 Beth Jones 2011–15
Brian Mosteller 2011–12 Cathy Solomon 2015–17
Marvin D. Nicholson 2012–17 Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren 2009–17
Director, Oval Office Operations Brian Mosteller 2012–17 Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra 2009–12
Personal Secretary to the President Katie Johnson 2009–11 Todd Park 2012–14
Anita Decker Breckenridge 2011–14 Megan Smith 2014–17
Ferial Govashiri 2014–17 Director, Office of Management and Budget Peter R. Orszag 2009–10
Chief of Staff to the First Lady Jackie Norris 2009 Jack Lew 2010–12
Susan Sher 2009–11 Jeff Zients 2012–13
Tina Tchen 2011–17 Sylvia Mathews Burwell 2013–14
White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers 2009–10 Brian Deese 2014
Julianna Smoot 2010–11 Shaun Donovan 2014–17
Jeremy Bernard 2011–15 Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra 2009–11
Deesha Dyer 2015–17 Steven VanRoekel 2011–14
Chief of Staff to the Vice President Ron Klain 2009–11 Tony Scott 2015–17
Bruce Reed 2011–13 United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk 2009–13
Steve Ricchetti 2013–17 Michael Froman 2013–17
White House Chief Usher Stephen W. Rochon† 2009–11 Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske 2009–14
Angella Reid 2011–17 Michael Botticelli 2014–17
Director, White House Military Office George Mulligan 2009–13 Chair, Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley 2009–14
Emmett Beliveau 2013–15 Michael Boots 2014–15
Dabney Kern 2016–17 Christy Goldfuss 2015–17
† Remained from previous administration.
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