Biden Team Struggles to Fill Complex Top Role

According to many sources, President Joe Biden’s senior advisers are having trouble hiring a campaign manager for his re-election. This is highlighting the challenge of finding someone to lead processes while the White House makes decisions.

Denial and Urgency

Some political veterans have struggled to accept the chief strategist and other top staff will be more implementers than decision-makers. White House official Andrew Bates remarked, “That’s incorrect,” in response to claims that the Biden team has trouble finding a campaign manager.

According to reports, top Biden aides interview numerous campaign managers and senior personnel.

Three sources close to the process said recruiting centered on those who ran challenging 2022 midterm contests and veterans of Biden’s 2020 campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

According to one source, Biden’s advisors attempt to get the proper individuals on the bus and work it out later. Per two sources, Biden may begin a campaign in April, making the hiring issue urgent.

The president’s medical on Thursday completed another pre-announcement task.

Robby Mook, who led Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential candidacy, which was plagued by rival power structures, said Biden’s re-election would depend on the campaign manager, even if they don’t make the decisions.

The White House’s senior adviser Anita Dunn, assistant chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon, and counselors Steve Ricchetti and Michael Donilon will be key. As he did four years ago, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain has said he will help re-elect Biden.

Jill Biden, the first lady, and Valerie Biden Owens, his sister, have been intensely active in his political career.

Biden’s 2024 campaign would maintain his decision-making procedure that seeks senior group feedback before final approval. Biden’s team must select a campaign manager who can work in that system and do so far from the White House.

“They’re not the fastest decision makers,” the source added of the president and his core staff. So, Biden’s campaign manager must be comfortable making decisions and “asking permission later.”

2020 Campaign

A Biden aide said his 2020 campaign proved campaign leaders and longstanding advisers worked effectively under well-defined responsibilities. The adviser also cited the administration’s successes and low turnover as a model that will continue.

Dunn and O’Malley Dillon have campaigned alongside White House leaders. Biden’s 2020 general campaign manager, O’Malley Dillon, was Obama’s 2012 deputy campaign manager and a key adviser to his re-election.

According to various Democrats, some candidates for campaign manager have flipped the conversation to market themselves for other jobs or as outside consultants.

Those linked to the process say some members of Biden’s tight-knit team saw volunteers as lacking the experience they require for the post. These people indicated their experience included managing a large campaign group and appearing on TV.

Two individuals familiar with the process said staff applicants had been interviewed in Washington and online. The sources also underlined the informality of the negotiations, with Biden aides occasionally emailing or texting possible candidates for their strategic input.

Biden will also use the DNC. To establish the first campaign infrastructure, the DNC employs temporary and permanent workers.

Like previous incumbent re-election campaigns, a Biden associate indicated the campaign would likely have Washington office space. Another Biden aide suggested Chicago and Atlanta for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Biden’s 2020 campaign was mostly virtual, too.

This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.

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