David Axelrod facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Axelrod
|
|
|---|---|
Axelrod in 2015
|
|
| Senior Advisor to the President | |
| In office January 20, 2009 – January 10, 2011 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Barry Jackson |
| Succeeded by | David Plouffe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 22, 1955 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Susan Landau
(m. 1979) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Education | University of Chicago (BA) |
David M. Axelrod (born February 22, 1955) is an American political consultant and analyst. He used to be a high-ranking official in the White House. He is most famous for being the main planner for Barack Obama's campaigns to become president.
After Obama won the election, Axelrod became a Senior Advisor to the President. This means he helped the President make important decisions and share his ideas. He left this job in 2011. Then, he became the main strategist for Obama's successful re-election campaign in 2012. Axelrod also worked as a writer for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Later, he joined CNN as a senior political commentator. He also directed the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, which helps young people learn about politics. His book about his life in politics is called Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Axelrod was born in Manhattan, New York City. He grew up in an area called Stuyvesant Town. His family was Jewish and had liberal views. His mother, Myril Bennett, was a journalist and later worked in advertising. His father, Joseph Axelrod, was a psychologist who came to the U.S. from Eastern Europe.
David's parents separated when he was eight years old. He found politics exciting from a young age. When he was just thirteen, he was already selling campaign buttons for Robert F. Kennedy, who was running for president.
After finishing Stuyvesant High School in 1972, Axelrod went to the University of Chicago. He studied political science there. As a college student, he wrote about politics for a local newspaper, the Hyde Park Herald. He also had an internship at the Chicago Tribune, a major newspaper.
David Axelrod's Family Life
While studying at the University of Chicago, David Axelrod met Susan Landau. She was a business student. They got married in 1979.
In 1981, they had their first child, a daughter named Lauren. When she was seven months old, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. This condition caused her to have severe seizures. Because of this, she has developmental disabilities.
David and Susan worked hard to find the best care and support for Lauren. In 2002, she moved to Misericordia, a special group home where she lives an active life. David Axelrod is a strong supporter of different types of group homes that help people like his daughter. The Axelrods also have two other children.
David Axelrod's Career
Starting in Journalism and Politics
After graduating from college, David Axelrod was hired by the Chicago Tribune. He worked there for eight years, covering politics at different levels. By 1981, at age 27, he became the youngest political writer for the paper. He later became the head of the City Hall Bureau and a political columnist.
In 1984, he left the Tribune to work in politics. He joined the campaign of U.S. Senator Paul Simon as the communications director. Soon after, he became a co-campaign manager.
In 1985, Axelrod started his own political consulting company, Axelrod & Associates. He became known for helping African American politicians win elections. He worked on campaigns for several black mayors in cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland. He also advised Richard M. Daley, who was the mayor of Chicago for a long time. Axelrod became known as a "specialist in urban politics."
He also worked on campaigns outside the U.S. In 2002, he helped the Liberal Party of Ontario in Canada. He helped them focus on "working families" and positive policy ideas. In 2004, Axelrod worked on John Edwards' campaign for president.
Axelrod also taught a class called Campaign Strategy at Northwestern University. In 2009, he received an honorary degree from DePaul University.
Working for Barack Obama's Presidential Campaigns
David Axelrod first met Barack Obama in 1992. They stayed in touch, and Obama often asked Axelrod for advice. Before Obama ran for president, he even asked Axelrod to read drafts of his book, The Audacity of Hope.
Axelrod had worked with many candidates who were running in the 2008 presidential election, including Hillary Clinton. It was a tough choice for him. However, he decided to join Obama's campaign. He became the chief strategist and media advisor for Obama. He said he believed that helping Obama get to Washington would be a great achievement.
Axelrod helped start Obama's campaign with a five-minute video released online in 2007. He used videos that showed everyday people to make the political ads feel real and personal.
The Obama campaign's main message was "change." This was different from the Clinton campaign, which focused on experience. Axelrod believed that people wanted change, and this message helped Obama win the Iowa caucuses. Many voters in Iowa said "change" was the most important thing they looked for in a candidate.
Axelrod also helped create a strategy that encouraged many people to get involved. This meant using new internet tools and social media. Obama's website allowed supporters to write blogs, create their own pages, and even make phone calls from home to encourage other voters. This helped Obama get over 475,000 donors in 2007, many of whom gave small amounts of money online. This "grassroots" approach was key to the campaign's success.
People who worked with Axelrod described him as calm and mild-mannered. They said he wasn't a "screamer" and had a good sense of humor, which helped to ease tense situations.
Senior Advisor to the President
On November 20, 2008, after Obama won the election, he named David Axelrod as a senior advisor in his administration. In this role, Axelrod helped to develop government policies and communicate the President's messages. He worked closely with President Obama, speechwriters, and the White House communications team.
Axelrod left his White House job on January 28, 2011. He then became a top aide for Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. He said this would be his last job as a political strategist.
After the White House
.jpg)
In 2013, Axelrod started the University of Chicago Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. This institute helps students learn about politics and public service. He served as its director.
In 2013, Axelrod also joined NBC News and MSNBC as a senior political analyst. In 2015, he moved to CNN to be a senior political commentator.
In 2014, he advised the British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband for the 2015 general election in the United Kingdom.
Axelrod is also a co-founder of a political consulting firm called AKPD Message and Media. In February 2015, his book Believer: My Forty Years in Politics was published.
Since 2015, Axelrod has hosted a podcast called The Axe Files. In this podcast, he has in-depth discussions and interviews with many political figures. In 2019, he started another podcast called Hacks on Tap with co-host Mike Murphy. They discuss current political news and campaigns.
In 2022, David Axelrod announced that he would step down as director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. He became a senior fellow and chair of its advisory board in January 2023. The university president praised his leadership, saying he helped the institute grow and succeed.
|
