View source for David Axelrod

{{About|the political consultant|other people with the same name|David Axelrod (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Short description|American political consultant (born 1955)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = David Axelrod
| image               = David Axelrod in 2015.jpg
| caption             = Axelrod in 2015
| office              = [[Senior Advisor to the President of the United States|Senior Advisor to the President]]
| president           = [[Barack Obama]]
| term_start          = January 20, 2009
| term_end            = January 10, 2011
| predecessor         = [[Barry Steven Jackson|Barry Jackson]]
| successor           = [[David Plouffe]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1955|2|22}}
| birth_place         = New York City, U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|Susan Landau|1979}}
| children            = 3
| mother              = [[Myril Axelrod Bennett]]
| education           = [[University of Chicago]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
}}

'''David M. Axelrod''' (born February 22, 1955) is an American political consultant and [[political analyst|analyst]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he is best known for being the chief strategist to [[Barack Obama]] during his [[2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign|2008]] and [[Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign|2012]] presidential campaigns. In addition, during Obama's [[Presidency of Barack Obama|first term]], Axelrod worked in the [[White House]] as the [[Senior Advisor to the President of the United States|Senior Advisor to the President]].

Born and raised in [[New York City]], Axelrod started his career as a political reporter for the [[Chicago Tribune|''Chicago Tribune'']]. He subsequently helped lead [[Paul Simon (politician)|Paul Simon]]'s successful [[1984 United States Senate election in Illinois|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 [[John Edwards 2004 presidential campaign|2004 presidential campaign]] and [[Rahm Emanuel]] for the [[2006 United States elections|2006 midterms]].

During the [[2008 United States presidential election|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.<ref name="Politico_Axelrod_20081119">{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1108/Axelrod_and_other_senior_staff.html?showall|title=Ben Smith's Blog: Axelrod, and other senior staff|last=Smith|first=Ben |date=November 19, 2008|work=[[Politico]]|access-date=August 11, 2013}}</ref> He left the position in early 2011 to become the Senior Strategist for Obama's successful [[2012 United States presidential election|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.<ref name="Staff">{{cite web |title=Staff |url=http://politics.uchicago.edu/staff |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120210613/http://politics.uchicago.edu/staff |archive-date=November 20, 2015 |access-date=April 4, 2019 |publisher=University of Chicago Institute of Politics}}</ref><ref name="LoBianco">{{Cite web |last=LoBianco |first=Tom |date=September 3, 2015 |title=Former Obama adviser Axelrod joining CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/03/politics/david-axelrod-joins-cnn/index.html |website=CNN Politics}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Axelrod was born on the [[Lower East Side]] of [[Manhattan]], New York City, and grew up in its [[Peter Cooper Village—Stuyvesant Town|Stuyvesant Town]] area.<ref name=Amy>{{cite magazine |last1=Chozick |first1=Amy |last2=Axelrod |first2=David |title=When He Walks Out of That Building, I Don't Think He's Gonna Look Back | magazine=The New York Times Magazine |date=February 15, 2015 |page=14 |issn=0028-7822 |  via=Cengage |id={{ Gale|A401653703}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=David Axelrod is a New York City boy who has Barack Obama's ear |first=Michael |last=Saul |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/06/21/2008-06-21_david_axelrod_is_a_new_york_city_boy_who.html |newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |date=June 22, 2008 |access-date=April 15, 2011 |quote="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.}}</ref><ref name="reuters-2009-10-22">{{cite news  |title=NY court rules against Stuyvesant Town owners |first1=Ilaina |last1=Jonas |first2=Joan |last2=Gralla |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59L4W620091022 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=October 22, 2009 |access-date=April 15, 2011}}</ref> He was raised in a [[Reform Judaism|liberal]] [[Jewish family]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/may/23/barackobama.uselections2008|title=He can be cut-throat. He believes that if you're in a race, you beat the other side by almost any means necessary|first=Ewen|last=MacAskill|date=May 22, 2008|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|quote=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. }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Ron|last=Kampeas|url=http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/309345/how-bibi-alienated-all-his-jewish-allies-at-the-white-house/|title=How Bibi Alienated All His Jewish Allies at the White House|newspaper=[[The Jewish Daily Forward]]|date=June 3, 2015}}</ref> and had his [[bar mitzvah]] ceremony at the Brotherhood Synagogue in Manhattan.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Bonnie Miller |last= Rubin|title= How David Axelrod Stays True to His Jewish Roots  |newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=July 31, 2017 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/how-david-axelrod-stays-true-to-his-jewish-roots-1.5437819 }}</ref> His mother, [[Myril Axelrod Bennett|Myril Bennett (née Davidson)]], was a journalist at ''[[PM (newspaper)|PM]],'' a liberal-leaning 1940s newspaper, and later an advertising executive at [[Young & Rubicam]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newstimes/obituary.aspx?pid=169209877 |access-date=November 23, 2015 |title=Myril Axelrod Bennett Obituary |work=[[The News-Times|News Times]] |location=[[Danbury, Connecticut]] |date=January 22, 2014}}</ref>  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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oh3wBgAAQBAJ&q=joseph+axelrod+eastern+europe&pg=PT5|title=Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod {{!}} A 15-minute Summary & Analysis: My Forty Years in Politics|last=Instaread|date=March 5, 2015|publisher=Instaread Summaries|language=en}}</ref><ref name=postprofile /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/yourtown/newton/articles/2009/02/15/for_her_its_also_hail_to_my_son/ |title=A Newton mother's pride in Obama adviser David Axelrod – The Boston Globe |publisher=Boston.com |date=February 15, 2009 |access-date=February 11, 2014 |first=Husna |last=Haq}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1293766741.html?dids=1293766741:1293766741&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+24%2C+2007&author=PATRICK+T&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=The+Agony+and+the+Agony%3B+Renowned+political+guru+David+Axelrod+can+cap+his+career+by+helping+Barack+Obama+win+the+White+House.+But+will+it+calm+the+forces+driving+him%3F&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131134434/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1293766741.html?dids=1293766741:1293766741&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+24,+2007&author=PATRICK+T&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=The+Agony+and+the+Agony;+Renowned+political+guru+David+Axelrod+can+cap+his+career+by+helping+Barack+Obama+win+the+White+House.+But+will+it+calm+the+forces+driving+him%3F&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |title=The Agony and the Agony |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=June 24, 2007 |access-date=February 11, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/12/02/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-david-axelrod |access-date=November 23, 2015 |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About David Axelrod |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |first=Debra |last=Bell |date=December 2, 2008}}</ref> 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 19.<ref name="cnn.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/14/opinions/fathers-death-depression-axelrod/index.html|title = Opinion: David Axelrod: I'm sharing my father's story to help end a stigma|website = [[CNN]]| date=May 14, 2021 }}</ref>

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."<ref name=LAT01>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-axelrod15feb15,1,2986209.story
|title=The man behind Obama's message
|newspaper= Los Angeles Times
|access-date=April 28, 2008
|last= La Ganga |first= Maria L.
|date= February 15, 2008
}}</ref> At thirteen years old, he was selling campaign buttons for [[Robert F. Kennedy]]. After graduating from New York's [[Stuyvesant High School]]<ref name=postprofile /> in 1972, Axelrod attended the [[University of Chicago]], where he majored in political science.<ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/obamas-media-maven
 |title=Obama's Media Maven
 |first=Melissa Fay |last=Greene
 |work=[[The Nation]]
 |date=February 6, 2007 }}</ref> Axelrod described his childhood as "very turbulent", although he did not specify the exact details that elicited this characterization.<ref name="cnn.com"/>

As an [[Undergraduate education#United States system|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.<ref name="Nation_Hayes_20070206">{{Cite news|last=Hayes|first=Chris|date=February 6, 2007|title=Obama's Media Maven|journal=The Nation|language=en-US|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/obamas-media-maven/|url-status=live|access-date=July 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225085035/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/obamas-media-maven/|archive-date=February 25, 2021|issn=0027-8378}}</ref>

While at the University of Chicago he met his future wife, business student Susan Landau (daughter of physician-scientist [[Richard L. Landau]]),<ref name="CSTRLLObit">{{cite news|last=O'Donnell|first=Maureen|title=U. of C. Dr. Richard L. Landau, in-law to David Axelrod, dead at 99|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=June 24, 2016|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/u-of-c-dr-richard-l-landau-in-law-to-david-axelrod-dead-at-99/|access-date=February 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204124302/https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/u-of-c-dr-richard-l-landau-in-law-to-david-axelrod-dead-at-99/|archive-date=February 4, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and they married in 1979.

In June 1981, they had their first child, a daughter.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Axelrod|first=David|date=July 4, 2021|title=Opinion {{!}} When It Comes to People Like My Daughter, One Size Does Not Fit All|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/04/opinion/disability-funding-medicaid.html|access-date=July 6, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> She was diagnosed with [[epilepsy]] at seven months of age.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parade.com/health/2009/02/susan-axelrod-CURE-epilepsy.html |title=I Must Save My Child |date=February 15, 2009 |access-date=February 15, 2009 |publisher=[[Parade Magazine]]}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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 Home|Misericordia]], a large dormitory-style group home in 2002, where she leads an active life.<ref name=":0" />  {{As of|2021}}, 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.<ref name=":0" />

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.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.akpdmedia.com/partners/daxelrod.html
 |title       = Partners—David Axelrod
 |publisher   = AKPD Message and Media
 |access-date  = April 28, 2008
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081108125212/http://www.akpdmedia.com/partners/daxelrod.html
 |archive-date = November 8, 2008
|df          = mdy-all
}}</ref> He left the ''Tribune'' and joined the campaign of U.S. Senator [[Paul Simon (politician)|Paul Simon]] as communications director in 1984. Within weeks he was promoted to co-campaign manager.<ref name=ChicagoTribune_Reardon_20070624>{{cite news
|last= Reardon |first= Patrick T.
|url= http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070620axelrod-htmlstory,1,3883059.htmlstory
|title= The Agony and the Agony
|work= Chicago Tribune
|date= June 24, 2007
|access-date=April 4, 2008}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hatchet Man: The Rise of David Axelrod |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-1987/Hatchet-Man-The-Rise-of-David-Axelrod/ |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=Chicago Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1987 he worked on the successful reelection campaign of [[Harold Washington]], Chicago's first black [[Mayor of Chicago|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 (politician)|Michael R. White]] in [[Cleveland]], [[Anthony A. Williams]] in Washington, D.C., [[Lee P. Brown]] in Houston, and [[John F. Street]] in Philadelphia.<ref name=Nation_Hayes_20070206 /> Axelrod is a longtime strategist for the former [[Mayor of Chicago|Chicago Mayor]] [[Richard M. Daley]]<ref name="economist">{{cite news | title = The Ax-man Cometh | url = http://www.economist.com/node/11965249 | newspaper = [[The Economist]] U.S. edition | page =28 | date = August 23, 2008}}</ref> and styles himself a "specialist in urban politics." ''[[The Economist]]'' notes he also specializes in "packaging black candidates for white voters".<ref name="economist" />

In January 1990, Axelrod was hired to be the media consultant for the all but official re-election campaign of [[Governor of Oregon|Oregon Governor]] [[Neil Goldschmidt]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20070519212017/http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/governors/goldschmidt/box203/box203_list.html Box 203 of Goldschmidt's records] is no longer an active page; Box 203 of Goldschmidt's records are [https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/records/governors_guides.aspx here] but not apparently easily searchable.</ref> However, in February Goldschmidt decided not to seek re-election.<ref>{{cite news | last = Jaquiss | first = Nigel | title = The 30-Year Secret: A crime, a cover-up and the way it shaped Oregon | url = http://wweek.com/story.php?story=5091 | work = Willamette Week | date = May 12, 2004 | access-date = April 6, 2009 | archive-date = March 30, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090330124803/http://wweek.com/story.php?story=5091 | url-status = dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/News/World/USElection/article/293731 | location=Toronto | work=The Star | title=McGuinty and Obama share strategist | first1=Robert | last1=Benzie | date=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

In 2004, Axelrod worked for [[John Edwards]]' [[John Edwards presidential campaign, 2004|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."<ref name=WashingtonPost_Montgomery_20070215>{{cite news
|last= Montgomery |first= David
|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/14/AR2007021401812.html
|title= Barack Obama's On-Point Message Man
|newspaper= The Washington Post
|date= February 15, 2007
|access-date= May 13, 2015}}</ref><ref name=NYT_WallaceWells_20070401>{{cite news
|last= Wallace-Wells
|first= Ben
|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/magazine/01axelrod.t.html
|title= Obama's Narrator
|work= The New York Times
|date= April 1, 2007
|access-date= April 22, 2008}}</ref>

Axelrod worked as a consultant for [[Exelon]], an Illinois-area utility which operated the largest fleet of nuclear reactors in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fahey|first=Jonathan|title=Exelon's Carbon Advantage|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0118/americas-best-company-10-exelon-utility-tax-carbon-windfall.html|access-date=July 19, 2020|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Axelrod |url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Axelrod.pdf?mod=article_inline |website=online.wsj.com}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Well-oiled Machine; A system that works? Political debts contribute to better city services |date=August 21, 2005 |first=David |last=Axelrod |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/08/21/a-well-oiled-machine/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An Axelrod to Grind |first=Steve |last=Rhodes |date=January 7, 2010 |orig-year=October 13, 2008 |url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/politics/An_Axelrod_to_Grind.html |publisher=[[KNBC]] |location=Los Angeles}}</ref> In 2006, he consulted for several campaigns, including the successful campaigns of [[Eliot Spitzer]] in [[New York gubernatorial election, 2006|New York's gubernatorial election]] and [[Deval Patrick]] in [[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006|Massachusetts's gubernatorial election]]. Also in 2006, Axelrod served as the chief political adviser for [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]] chair [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] [[Rahm Emanuel]] for the [[United States House of Representatives elections, 2006|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.<ref>{{cite web | title = Senior Advisor David Axelrod | website = [[White House]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122234325/http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/staff/david_axelrod/ | archive-date=January 22, 2009 | url-status = dead | url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/staff/david_axelrod/ }}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://newsline.depaul.edu/newslineadmin/anmviewer.asp?a=1112 Commencement '09]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} [[DePaul University]] Newsline Online, May 20, 2009</ref>

=== Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008 ===
{{See also|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,<ref name=NYT_Becker_20080511>{{cite news
  | last = Becker| first = Jo
  |author2=Christopher Drew
  | title = Obama's Pragmatic Politics, Forged on the South Side
  | work = The New York Times
  | date = May 11, 2008
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/us/politics/11chicago.html?pagewanted=5&hp
  | access-date = May 12, 2008}}</ref> and asked him to read drafts of his book ''[[The Audacity of Hope]]''.<ref name=NYT_Scott_20080518>{{cite news
  | last = Scott | first = Janny
  | title = Obama's Story, Written by Obama
  | work = The New York Times
  | date = May 18, 2008
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/us/politics/18memoirs.html?pagewanted=3&hp
  | access-date = May 18, 2008}}</ref>

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 disability|developmental disabilities]] associated with chronic epileptic [[seizure]]s.) 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."<ref name=IHT_WallaceWells_20070330>{{cite news
| first=Ben | last=Wallace-Wells
| title=A star strategist offers Democrats a new vision
| date=March 30, 2007
| url =http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/30/news/obama.php
| work =[[International Herald Tribune]]
| access-date = May 6, 2008}}</ref> 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."<ref name="postprofile">{{cite news
 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/01/AR2008050103509.html?nav=hcmodule
 |title=The Player at Bat – David Axelrod, the Man With Obama's Game Plan, Is Also the Candidate's No. 1 Fan
 |first=Robert G.|last=Kaiser
 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]
 |date=May 2, 2008
|access-date=May 6, 2008
}}</ref>

Axelrod contributed to the start of Obama's campaign by creating a five-minute Internet video released January 16, 2007.<ref name=YouTube_ObamaExplore_20070116>{{cite web
|title=Biography of Barack Obama |date=January 16, 2007
|work=YouTube
|format=Video from Barack Obama's exploratory committee
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFBF5AeliNQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/zFBF5AeliNQ |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=YouTube_Obama_20070116>{{cite web |access-date=November 11, 2008
|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5h95s0OuEg
 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/H5h95s0OuEg |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live|title=My Plans for 2008 |date=January 16, 2007
|author=Obama, Barack |website = YouTube|format=Obama's YouTube video announcement of that he would file papers on January 16, 2007, to form an exploratory committee
}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He continued to use [[Vox populi|"man on the street"]]-style biographical videos to create a sense of intimacy and authenticity in the political ads.

[[File:David Axelrod at Cleveland Democratic debate.jpg|left|thumb|Axelrod talking to reporters in the "spin room" after the Cleveland [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential debates, 2008|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."<ref name=Time_Tumulty_20080508>{{cite magazine
|url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1738331,00.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080508205536/http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1738331,00.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=May 8, 2008
|title=The Five Mistakes Clinton Made
|magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]]
|access-date=November 2, 2009
|last= Tumulty |first= Karen
|date = May 8, 2008
}}</ref> The change message played a factor in Obama's [[Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2008|victory]] in the [[Iowa caucus]]es. "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 (journalist)|Bill Schneider]]. "That compares to only 19 percent of 'change' caucus-goers who preferred Clinton."<ref name= clintonmistakes>{{cite news
|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/03/iowa.dems/index.html
|title= Obama wins Iowa as candidate for change
|publisher= CNN
|access-date=May 8, 2008
|last= Crowley
|first= Candy
|date = January 4, 2008
}}</ref> 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."<ref name= clintonmistakes /> 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 [[Howard Dean presidential campaign, 2004|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.<ref name=RollingStone_Dickinson_20080320>{{cite news
|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/obamamachineryofhope/page/2
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310001950/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/obamamachineryofhope/page/2
|archive-date=March 10, 2008
|url-status=dead
|title=The Machinery of Hope
|magazine= Rolling Stone
|access-date=April 28, 2008
|last= Dickinson
|first= Tim
|date = March 20, 2008
}}</ref> 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.<ref name=Wired_Stirland20080214>{{cite news
| first=Sarah Lai | last=Stirland
| title=The Tech of Obamamania: Online Phone Banks, Mass Texting and Blogs
| date=February 14, 2008
| url =https://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2008/02/potomac_primaries
| magazine =[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | access-date = February 21, 2008}}</ref> 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'<ref name=Politico_Simon_20070320>{{cite news
|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3213.html
|title=The Democrats Turn Tough—on Each Other
|publisher= Politico.com
|access-date=May 8, 2008
|date = March 20, 2007
|last= Simon|first= Roger
}}</ref> and it quoted one Obama aide in Chicago as saying, "Do you know how lucky we are that he is our [[Mark Penn]]?"<ref name=Politico_Brown_20080427>{{cite news
|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9891.html
|title=Obama team remains unshaken and unstirred
|publisher= Politico.com
|access-date=April 28, 2008
|date = April 27, 2008
|last= Brown|first= Carrie Budoff
}}</ref> Democratic consultant and former colleague Dan Fee said of Axelrod, "He's a calming presence."<ref name=Politico_Fitzgerald_20071230>{{cite news
|url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/politics/national/12923012.html
|title=Helping hone Obama's pitch
|publisher= Politico.com
|access-date=May 7, 2008
|date = December 30, 2007
|last= Fitzgerald |first= Thomas
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080107034227/http://www.philly.com/inquirer/politics/national/12923012.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = January 7, 2008}}</ref> "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."<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/magazine/chi-070620axelrod-htmlstory,0,3477242.htmlstory
|title=The Agony and the Agony
|work=Chicago Tribune
|access-date=May 7, 2008
|date=June 24, 2007
|last=Reardon
|first=Patrick T.
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225183700/http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/magazine/chi-070620axelrod-htmlstory%2C0%2C3477242.htmlstory
|archive-date=December 25, 2007
|url-status=dead

}}</ref> In June 2008, ''[[The New York Times]]'' described Axelrod as a "campaign guru" with an "appreciation for Chicago-style politics."<ref>{{cite news |title=Calm in the Swirl of History |last=Powell |first=Michael |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 4, 2008 |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/us/politics/04obama.html |access-date=September 5, 2015}}</ref>

=== Senior Advisor to the President, 2009–11 ===
[[File:Obama edits speech announcing KORUS FTA.jpg|thumb|right|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7744745.stm|title=Obama 'to unveil economic team'|date=November 24, 2008|via=bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=9999200031891|title=Axelrod to join Obama White House}}</ref>

==== 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,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Connor |first1=Kevin |title=The Foreclosure Fraud Scandal Just Got Harder to Ignore |url=https://news.littlesis.org/2011/01/07/the-foreclosure-fraud-scandal-just-got-harder-to-ignore |website=Eyes on the Ties |date=January 7, 2011|publisher=[[Public Accountability Initiative]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tkacik |first=Moe |date=October 11, 2010 |title=5 Things David Axelrod Must Have Missed About The Foreclosure Thing |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/339546/5-things-david-axelrod-must-have-missed-about-the-foreclosure-thing/ |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Axelrod signals White House opposition to foreclosure moratorium - CNN.com |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/10/10/white.house.foreclosures/index.html |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=www.cnn.com |language=en}}</ref> Notably, Axelrod made this statement after several banks had voluntarily suspended foreclosures and evictions in order to investigate improprieties.<ref>Binyamin Appelbaum: [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/business/economy/12foreclose.html A Foreclosure Tightrope for Democrats]. New York Times, October 11, 2010.</ref>

=== Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012 ===
{{See also|Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012}}
Axelrod left his White House senior advisor post on January 28, 2011. He was a top aide to [[Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012|Obama's 2012 re-election campaign]].<ref name="Fox01">{{cite news |last=MacCallum |first=Martha |date=February 2, 2011 |title=Axelrod Departs the White House, Prepares for New Mission to Re-Elect Obama |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/axelrod-departs-the-white-house-prepares-for-new-mission-to-re-elect-obama/ |access-date=August 22, 2011 |work=FoxNews.com}}</ref><ref name="usnews">{{cite news |last=Walsh |first=Ken |date=November 12, 2012 |title=The Election's Other Big Winner: David Axelrod |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/Ken-Walshs-Washington/2012/11/12/the-elections-other-big-winner-david-axelrod |newspaper=US News}}</ref> Axelrod stated that his job as Obama's chief campaign strategist in the 2012 campaign would be his final job as a political operative.<ref>{{cite web|last=Libit |first=Daniel |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2011/David-Axelrods-Last-Campaign/ |title=David Axelrod's Last Campaign |work= Chicago magazine|date=September 2011 |access-date=April 13, 2012}}</ref>

=== After second Obama campaign ===
[[File:University of Chicago Institute of Politics Director Axelrod Introduces Secretary Kerry and Aspen Institute President Isaacson to Discuss Global Affairs and Engage With Students (29953127524).jpg|thumb|Axelrod in Chicago in 2016]]
In January 2013, Axelrod established a bipartisan [[University of Chicago Institute of Politics|Institute of Politics]] at the [[University of Chicago]], where he serves as director.<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Dirk|title=David Axelrod on His Move to the University of Chicago|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/February-2013/David-Axelrod-on-His-Move-to-the-University-of-Chicago/|access-date=February 20, 2014|newspaper=Chicago Magazine|date=January 9, 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Molinari|first=Maurizio|author-link=Maurizio Molinari|title=New Client For Obama Guru Axelrod: Italian PM Mario Monti, In Showdown With Berlusconi|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2013/01/23/esteri/lastampa-in-english/new-client-for-obama-guru-axelrod-italian-pm-mario-monti-in-showdown-with-berlusconi-ATRrfwSGM7EA3FJSgMjNJK/pagina.html|access-date=April 19, 2014|newspaper=La Stampa|date=January 23, 2013}}</ref>  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|date=October 2019}} a position he held until September 2015 when he moved to [[CNN]].

In 2014 Axelrod was appointed senior strategic adviser to the [[Labour Party (UK)|British Labour Party]] to assist party leader [[Ed Miliband]] in the run-up to the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/17/ed-miliband-david-axelrod-adviser-2015-election |title=Ed Miliband signs up top Obama adviser David Axelrod for UK election |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Wintour|date=April 17, 2014|website=[[theguardian.com]]|access-date=April 17, 2014}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rifkin|first1=Jesse|title=David Axelrod Book Reveals Behind-The-Scenes Drama Of Obama Campaign And Presidency|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/obama-axelrod-book_n_6622988.html|work=Huffington Post}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2016}}

In 2015, Axelrod began hosting a [[Political podcast|podcast]] titled ''The Axe Files'' a series of in-depth discussions and interviews with various political figures''.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://politics.uchicago.edu/pages/axefiles|title=The Axe Files with David Axelrod|website=politics.uchicago.edu|language=en|access-date=April 8, 2019|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405135902/http://politics.uchicago.edu/pages/axefiles|url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2019<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hacksontap.com/episodes/biden-plays-hyde-and-go-seek-warren-rising-in-iowa|title=Biden plays Hyde and go seek, Warren rising in Iowa|website=Hacks on Tap|date=June 11, 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=December 13, 2019}}</ref> he started the [[Political podcast|podcast]] ''Hacks on Tap'' with co-host [[Mike Murphy (political consultant)|Mike Murphy]], a show where the two discuss news and updates from the 2020 presidential campaign trail.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hacksontap.com/about|title=About|website=Hacks on Tap|language=en-US|access-date=December 13, 2019}}</ref> He also joined [[CNN]] as a senior political commentator in September 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Obama adviser Axelrod joining CNN as senior political commentator|date=September 3, 2015 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/03/politics/david-axelrod-joins-cnn/|publisher=CNN|access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref>

In 2018, Axelrod vocally opposed [[Efforts to impeach Donald Trump|Democratic support for impeachment]], arguing that if  "we “normalize” impeachment as a political tool, it will be another hammer blow to our democracy".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/09/politics/tom-steyer-david-axelrod-impeachment/index.html|title=Axelrod, Steyer spar over Dems' impeachment calls|first=Maegan |last=Vazquez|website=CNN|date=April 9, 2018|access-date=November 17, 2019}}</ref>

In 2022, he announced his intention{{clarify|date=January 2023}} 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."<ref>{{cite news |title=David Axelrod to step down from role as director of UChicago's Institute of Politics in 2023|url=https://news.uchicago.edu/story/david-axelrod-step-down-director-uchicagos-institute-politics-2023 |access-date=February 16, 2022 |work=news.uchicago.edu |publisher=University of Chicago |date=February 15, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|David Axelrod}}
* [http://www.akpdmedia.com/ AKPD Media]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120620134632/http://www.asgk.com/ ASGK Public Strategies]
* {{C-SPAN|1014580}}
* {{Charlie Rose view|interview/10927}}
* {{NYTtopic|people/a/david_axelrod}}
* [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070620axelrod-htmlstory,0,7217326.htmlstory "The Agony and the Agony"], Patrick T. Reardon, ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', June 24, 2007
* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/27/barackobama.uselections20081 Profile: David Axelrod], Ned Temko, ''[[The Guardian]]'', July 27, 2008
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/27/us/politics/27axelrod.html "Long by Obama's Side, an Adviser Fills a Role That Exceeds His Title"], Jeff Zeleny, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 26, 2008
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/us/politics/09axelrod.html "President's Political Protector Is Ever Close at Hand"], Jeff Zeleny, ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 8, 2009
* [http://politics.uchicago.edu/pages/axefiles The Axe Files] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126204307/http://politics.uchicago.edu/pages/axefiles |date=January 26, 2017 }}, Axelrod's podcast.
* {{Muckrack}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Barry Steven Jackson|Barry Jackson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Senior Advisor to the President of the United States|Senior Advisor to the President]]|years=2009–2011|alongside=[[Valerie Jarrett]], [[Pete Rouse]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[David Plouffe]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Obama Administration personnel}}
{{CNN personnel}}
{{MSNBC Personalities}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Axelrod, David}}
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