David Axelrod

David Axelrod is the director of the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. Axelrod began his career as a reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune before opening his own political consultancy firm where he managed local, state, and national campaigns. In 2008, Axelrod joined the presidential campaign of then-senator Barack Obama, where he served as senior strategist. He went on to serve in the White House as senior advisor to the president, before leaving to lead President Obama’s successful reelection campaign as chief campaign strategist.