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| Julie Chavez Rodriguez: Five facts about Biden's 2024 campaign manager | Julie Chavez Rodriguez: Five facts about Biden's 2024 campaign manager |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US President Joe Biden is gearing up to formally declare that he will seek re-election and his campaign-in-waiting now has its leader. | US President Joe Biden is gearing up to formally declare that he will seek re-election and his campaign-in-waiting now has its leader. |
| Senior White House advisor Julie Chavez Rodriguez, 45, will serve as the president's 2024 campaign manager, US media reported on Sunday. | Senior White House advisor Julie Chavez Rodriguez, 45, will serve as the president's 2024 campaign manager, US media reported on Sunday. |
| Mr Biden, 80, has delayed formally announcing his candidacy but may do so as soon as this week. | Mr Biden, 80, has delayed formally announcing his candidacy but may do so as soon as this week. |
| Here is what you need to know about the woman in charge of his latest campaign. | Here is what you need to know about the woman in charge of his latest campaign. |
| 1. Famous family roots | |
| Ms Rodriguez is the grand-daughter of the famed labour leader Cesar Chavez and labour activist Helen Fabela Chavez. | Ms Rodriguez is the grand-daughter of the famed labour leader Cesar Chavez and labour activist Helen Fabela Chavez. |
| Cesar Chavez, a Mexican-American civil-rights activist who fought to improve working and living conditions for farm workers in the 1960s and 1970s, is an icon within organised labour and leftist circles. | Cesar Chavez, a Mexican-American civil-rights activist who fought to improve working and living conditions for farm workers in the 1960s and 1970s, is an icon within organised labour and leftist circles. |
| Since Mr Biden's first day as president, he has proudly displayed a bronze bust of Chavez on his desk in the Oval Office. | Since Mr Biden's first day as president, he has proudly displayed a bronze bust of Chavez on his desk in the Oval Office. |
| The bust was personally lent to him by Chavez's son Paul. | The bust was personally lent to him by Chavez's son Paul. |
| Last month, First Lady Jill Biden and Ms Rodriguez also planted a commemorative Cesar Chavez Rose in the White House Rose Garden. | Last month, First Lady Jill Biden and Ms Rodriguez also planted a commemorative Cesar Chavez Rose in the White House Rose Garden. |
| 2. Arrested as a young activist | |
| Ms Rodriguez has often described being an activist from a very young age. | Ms Rodriguez has often described being an activist from a very young age. |
| Raised in California's Central Valley and educated at the University of California - Berkeley, she attended rallies and did community outreach as a child, continuing her grandfather's fight for farm labourers. | Raised in California's Central Valley and educated at the University of California - Berkeley, she attended rallies and did community outreach as a child, continuing her grandfather's fight for farm labourers. |
| According to the New York Times, Ms Rodriguez was once arrested while distributing fliers about the dangers of pesticides at a protest outside a local supermarket. She was nine years old at the time. | According to the New York Times, Ms Rodriguez was once arrested while distributing fliers about the dangers of pesticides at a protest outside a local supermarket. She was nine years old at the time. |
| "I was exposed to organizing at such an early age, both as a skill set but also as an ethos," she told Bustle magazine in 2020. | "I was exposed to organizing at such an early age, both as a skill set but also as an ethos," she told Bustle magazine in 2020. |
| First Lady Jill Biden and Ms Rodriguez at a 2021 event | First Lady Jill Biden and Ms Rodriguez at a 2021 event |
| 3. Working for Barack Obama | |
| After Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers labour union in 1862, its rallying cry became "Si se puede" - loosely translated in English to "Yes we can". That phrase became one of Barack Obama's main slogans in his 2008 campaign for president. | After Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers labour union in 1862, its rallying cry became "Si se puede" - loosely translated in English to "Yes we can". That phrase became one of Barack Obama's main slogans in his 2008 campaign for president. |
| After eight years working as the program director at her grandfather's namesake foundation, Ms Rodriguez made her first foray into Washington politics during the Obama administration. | After eight years working as the program director at her grandfather's namesake foundation, Ms Rodriguez made her first foray into Washington politics during the Obama administration. |
| She first served in the US Department of the Interior before rising through the White House's office of public engagement and later becoming a special assistant to President Obama. | She first served in the US Department of the Interior before rising through the White House's office of public engagement and later becoming a special assistant to President Obama. |
| 4. Ties to Kamala Harris | |
| Mr Obama is not the only top Democrat Ms Rodriguez has worked for. | Mr Obama is not the only top Democrat Ms Rodriguez has worked for. |
| In late 2016, she became state director for Kamala Harris's campaign for the open US Senate seat in California. | In late 2016, she became state director for Kamala Harris's campaign for the open US Senate seat in California. |
| And when Ms Harris launched her 2020 bid for president, Ms Rodriguez served as the campaign's national political director and later as a travelling chief of staff. | And when Ms Harris launched her 2020 bid for president, Ms Rodriguez served as the campaign's national political director and later as a travelling chief of staff. |
| Concerns have been raised about Mr Biden's advanced age - and Ms Harris, as vice-president, remains the Democrat most likely to succeed him. | Concerns have been raised about Mr Biden's advanced age - and Ms Harris, as vice-president, remains the Democrat most likely to succeed him. |
| Kamala Harris speaks to Ms Rodriguez during a 2020 campaign stop | Kamala Harris speaks to Ms Rodriguez during a 2020 campaign stop |
| 5. Latina in the White House | |
| Ms Rodriguez has worked for Joe Biden since 2020. | Ms Rodriguez has worked for Joe Biden since 2020. |
| She first served as a senior advisor overseeing Latino voter outreach during his presidential campaign, then was appointed as the director of the White House's office of intergovernmental affairs. | She first served as a senior advisor overseeing Latino voter outreach during his presidential campaign, then was appointed as the director of the White House's office of intergovernmental affairs. |
| Ahead of the 2022 midterms, she was promoted as a senior advisor to the president - making her the highest ranking Latina in the building. | Ahead of the 2022 midterms, she was promoted as a senior advisor to the president - making her the highest ranking Latina in the building. |
| It comes at a time when some Democrats have expressed concern that the party is losing support with Hispanic voters in several key states. | It comes at a time when some Democrats have expressed concern that the party is losing support with Hispanic voters in several key states. |
| Ms Rodriguez was chosen for the role of campaign manager over Jen O'Malley Dillon, who led Mr Biden's successful 2020 campaign and now serves as his deputy chief of staff. She also beat out Mr Biden's sister Valerie Biden Owens, who managed his previous political campaigns. | Ms Rodriguez was chosen for the role of campaign manager over Jen O'Malley Dillon, who led Mr Biden's successful 2020 campaign and now serves as his deputy chief of staff. She also beat out Mr Biden's sister Valerie Biden Owens, who managed his previous political campaigns. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| White House | White House |
| US politics | US politics |
| United States | United States |
| Joe Biden | Joe Biden |