David Axelrod

David M. Axelrod (born February 22, 1955) is an American political consultant and analyst. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for being the chief strategist to Barack Obama during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. In addition, during Obama's first term, Axelrod worked in the White House as the Senior Advisor to the President. Born and raised in New York City, Axelrod started his career as a political reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He subsequently helped lead Paul Simon's successful 1984 bid for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. Forming a political consultancy firm, Axelrod built a reputation as a sought-after Democratic strategist, especially in Illinois. His clients included Chicago Mayors Harold Washington and Richard M. Daley, to whom he served as a longtime advisor. Axelrod also grew his national profile advising figures like John Edwards during his 2004 presidential campaign and Rahm Emanuel for the 2006 midterms. During the 2008 presidential election, Axelrod worked as the chief strategist to Barack Obama, whom he had first met in the early 1990s. After Obama's election, Axelrod was appointed as Senior Advisor to the President. He left the position in early 2011 to become the Senior Strategist for Obama's successful re-election campaign in 2012. Following the campaign, Axelrod retired from consulting and served as the director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics from 2012 until 2023. He has also been a Senior Political Commentator on CNN since 2015.