According to three sources with knowledge of the decision-making process, President Biden is expected to appoint Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a top West Wing official, and lifelong Democratic Party volunteer, to lead his reelection campaign.
Who is Julie Chavez Rodriguez?
Chavez Rodriguez is currently the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and a senior adviser and assistant to the president, two of the highest staff positions in the West Wing. As such, she is responsible for outreach to mayors, county executives, and governors, particularly in relation to the implementation of the Biden administration’s agenda and in response to natural or other major disasters.
Those who are informed about the ongoing discussions surrounding the reelection campaign stated on Sunday that while the campaign is anticipated to launch on Tuesday with a video message, the date could change if these important appointments are not yet made.
The president has been working on the campaign’s final details over the course of the weekend at Camp David with First Lady Jill Biden and other top aides.
Requests for a reaction from the White House and the Democratic National Committee went unanswered. Attempts to reach Chavez Rodriguez for comment were unsuccessful.
Rodriguez is prepared to oversee day-to-day operations from the campaign’s headquarters
Many DNC officials and other party volunteers will be shocked if the president begins his reelection campaign on Tuesday as planned. They had started to expect an announcement during the summer. Due to the continuous disputes among GOP presidential aspirants and the absence of a viable Democratic primary opponent, these leaders and activists had been led to believe the president was not in a hurry.
Rather, there has been a scramble to get everything ready for a Tuesday launch. One individual involved with the preparations said that as of late last week, the campaign launch film was still being edited.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez is prepared to oversee day-to-day operations from the campaign’s headquarters, which will either be in the president’s native Wilmington, Delaware or close by Philadelphia, where he based his 2020 campaign.
However, a group of senior aides who are likely to divide their time between White House and campaign responsibilities is still anticipated to make the big-picture, strategic decisions and coordinate the president’s official and campaign agendas. The group also includes Chief of Staff Jeffrey D. Zients and Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, who oversaw the 2020 campaign, as well as other individuals who formally serve as senior advisers and assistants to the president, including Mike Donilon, Anita Dunn, Bruce Reed, and Steve Ricchetti.
Chavez Rodriguez is one of only a handful of Latinas to have reached that level on a presidential staff in either party, and she is now the senior-most Latino employee in the West Wing. Chavez Rodriguez also worked for then-Sen. Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential bid, giving her a key connection to the vice president, whose profile has been increasing in recent weeks, with a focus, especially on the fight over the future of abortion rights.
Chavez Rodriguez is the granddaughter of labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. In the Oval Office, Biden honors Chavez by prominently displaying a bust of him. The White House Rose Garden this year is also home to a rose variety named for the labor leader.