Report: Obama to Run 2012 Campaign from Chicago

By: Joshua Norman
Topics: Campaign 2012

President Barack Obama will most likely be the first president in more than 40 years to run his reelection campaign from outside the D.C. area.

Updated 10 p.m. ET

Every president since Richard Nixon has run his re-election campaign from either Washington D.C., or its Virginia suburbs.

According to a report from the Politico website, President Barack Obama has decided to stick to the formula that got him elected the first time, rather than follow his predecessors' lead.

The campaign, more than 20-months away from giving us an actual winner, is already beginning to take traction. As Republican contenders become less shy about declaring their intentions, Obama will need a means of responding to their attacks that doesn't distract from his official presidential activities, Politico reports.

The Obama team has decided to not wait for the opposing side to gain footing, so sources with knowledge of the campaign planning told Politico that in the interest of getting started, a Chicago location has become a near certainty.

"Reelection campaigns are typically based in Washington because that puts the leadership closer to where [the candidate] lives," Jamal Simmons, a Democratic consultant, told Politico (Simmons is also a contributor to CBS News). "In modern presidential history, this is kind of revolutionary."

As Politico notes, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon all based their campaigns while president in suburban Virginia or Washington.

Senior White House adviser David Axelrod and Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina are scheduled to leave the administration early next year and then move Chicago to get the reelection planning underway, Politico adds. Meanwhile, Obama's 2008 campaign manager, David Plouffe, is expected to take Axelrod's place in the White House.

"For people who have been in the White House the past two years, it's probably a good idea to get outside the presidential bubble," said Simmons, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns. "Being in Chicago is a good way to do that. It's just real life."

Joshua Norman
Joshua Norman is an associate editor at CBSNews.com.

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by LIBERALS-lie December 29, 2010 12:13 PM EST: promise HOPE and CHANGE....then blame Bush/Cheney for everything...; Reply to this comment


by stn_sage December 28, 2010 9:41 PM EST: I don't think it will make one bit of difference WHERE he bases his campaign from...if he doesn't make good on his promises...and it's a little bit too late now...any moderate sounding Republican will probably be able to beat him!; Reply to this comment

by skithebumps December 28, 2010 4:28 PM EST

Hey, you guys don't like Obama, I have no problem with that.
But if you want to diss Chicago, you'd better show up with something more than just words and an attitude because this city rocks.

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by Birdman04 December 28, 2010 5:41 PM EST: Yeah I heard they have good pizza too. Too damn cold.


by skithebumps December 28, 2010 8:00 PM EST: Yes, Birdman04 we do have great pizza here. And the best hot dogs and the finest roast beef sandwiches and Chinese food and French cuisine and every kind of ethnic food you could possibly imagine from the simplest to the most complex. Hell, we have a bunch of Ethiopian restaurants here! Aren't they starving over there? Well, we've got their food in Chicago.
Cold? Yep, in winter, but hot in summer and beautiful in fall. Spring is only so-so but I've been all over this country and have never found a city as dynamic and alive as this one.
As Alex Kotlowitz said about this town, "never a city so real."
I love Chicago!

by Calendular December 28, 2010 4:07 PM EST

President Obama in my opinion is demonstrating good judgment launching his 2012 re-election campaign from the Midwest.

I'm from the Midwest and I will not make the mistake of voting for him again. However, President Obama will attract more votes from Democratic voters with headquarters in Chicago probably than if he bases his re-election campaign in either Washington D.C. or San Francisco.

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by HAZELET December 28, 2010 5:24 PM EST: There are many who share your thoughts....I don't think Chicago location will help. Just shows more disconnect.


by rockcutr December 28, 2010 11:28 AM EST: Waiting for politicians to save the day is the most retarded thing any citizen can do.
Stop pandering to false ideas and retoric. Pull your money from banks. Stop purchasing insurance. Stop eating gmo foods. Take responsibility for your own life. This is real freedom, to stand with out governance, to live well and good means no need for law.
Bunch o dopes better known as sheeple,,,
These sheep have no wool...and the meat is not eatable. Making them fertilizer with mouths waiting to serve by feeding worms or vultures.
A government of laws which are most apparantly uninforceable is doomed to the intrinsic value they create ..... nodda, zip, nothing, nil,,,,zero value.
For even when there is a glimmer of light the false tax gods shall cry not enough and will always spend more than they have due to a lack of personal fortitude in the understanding of how to maintain abundance. pitiful, as to how many of these college educated idots who profess to know so darn much, yet, lack the virtue of wisdom.; Reply to this comment


by gjc1n1 December 28, 2010 9:35 AM EST: Good luck Mr. Obama. Your the best thing that's hit Washington in along time.; Reply to this comment

by RobAla December 28, 2010 8:53 AM EST

Chicago is famous for being a nest of political corruption. I'm sure the President feels comfortable there, but so much for his previous transparency and the "hope and change" crap. The bottom line is that he is basically a Chicago style politician, and people bought into all the fluff he was dishing out.

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by jimbom121 December 28, 2010 9:11 AM EST: Washington, being run by lobbyists is not far behind. And the lobbyists will have more influence thanks to the tea partiers adding them to their staffs.

by owlady December 28, 2010 8:43 AM EST

Only a corrupt city like Chicago does him justice. The mob got him in....... so back to the winning strategy. Emanuel is already mayor... that decision was made when "they" allowed him to run, even though the residency factor disqualified him.
Chicago rules !!

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by skithebumps December 28, 2010 4:25 PM EST: owlady
You're damn right Chicago rules. Best city in the world.

by Rachel262 December 28, 2010 8:18 AM EST

If he is re-elected, America will certainly become a thrid rate power & will become the Socialist country he strives for. Just the sight of him (and to be truthful) any democrat, makes me want to "puke!"

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