WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s campaign is shaking up its top leadership, with Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and Mike Donilon leaving their posts on the White House to the best jobs for his candidacy for re-electionaccording to campaign officials.
In the coming weeks, as the campaign moves toward a general election posture, expected personnel changes will allow Donilon to play a central role in the campaign’s messaging and paid media strategy and O’Malley Dillon in the organization and execution of the campaign’s path to 270 electoral seats. votes — all under the leadership of campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, officials said.
Chavez Rodriguez said in an interview Tuesday evening that she was “excited to have a participatory approach with colleagues who we know have been critical advisers to Biden and participated in the 2020 campaign.”
She added that the campaign is clearly focused on “what we need to do between now and when it’s official who our opponent will be.”
“All of this work is on track and will continue at the pace we need it to,” she said.
O’Malley Dillon was Biden’s campaign manager in 2020. She has served as deputy chief of staff at the White House since Biden became president.
Donilon was one of the chief strategists for Biden’s 2020 campaign and has served as an advisor to the president since taking office in 2021.
Chávez Rodriguez was campaign manager since last year.
Chavez Rodriguez previously praised Donilon and O’Malley Dillon in a statement, saying “we are thrilled to see their leadership and strategic prowess focused full time” on returning Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to the House White for a second term. .
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Biden praised the two advisers for their talents that he said were instrumental in his 2020 victory, adding that Donilon and O’Malley Dillon are “stepping up once again to ensure that we finish the job for the American people.”
O’Malley Dillon’s new role was supposed to be the long-term plan, and it’s simply been accelerated now because of the shrinking GOP field, a source said. Biden still has confidence in Chavez Rodriguez, the source said.
O’Malley Dillon’s decision was first reported by the New York Times.
Jim Messina, who managed President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, called the campaign staff additions a “smart move.”
“This is a smart move by President Biden and Julie: having additional senior political aides focused full-time on re-election is exactly what one would expect the White House is making the general election showdown come into focus,” he said. in a report.
Maria Cardona, senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement that the measures were “critical and standard – to bring trusted and effective leaders into the campaign ahead of the election as Julie commandeers the troops toward victory in November.” . »
O’Malley Dillon’s move to the re-election campaign happened in part, two sources familiar with the matter said, because former President Donald Trump had consolidated support for the Republican Party more quickly than expected.
Trump prevailed in the Iowa caucuses last week with a resounding victory, prompting Florida’s governor to. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy end their bids for the White House and support him. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is now Trump’s main rival as he seeks the Republican nomination.
Trump has already won the support of a majority of Senate Republicans.
This month’s results NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found that three-quarters of likely Republican caucus attendees I think Trump can win over Biden despite its legal obstacles.
