A Guide to David Axelrod’s Career in Politics and Media

David Axelrod is an American political consultant, writer, analyst, and former White House official. He is best known for serving as former president Barack Obama’s chief strategist during his presidential campaigns.

David was born in New York City. He attended the University of Chicago in Illinois and majored in political science, eventually earning himself an internship at the Chicago Tribune. After David graduated, he was hired at the paper and became the youngest writer the paper had ever staffed—he was 26 at the time. The following year, he became the City Hall Bureau Chief as well as a political columnist for the paper.

In 1985, David started his political consultancy firm Axelrod and Associates, which worked on a number of high-profile political campaigns including those for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, and Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel. In 2007, he found himself working on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, aiding the former president to victory. After serving Obama as a Senior Advisor in his administration, Axelrod established and served as director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. In 2015, he joined CNN as a Senior Political Commentator.

David has lent his strategic skills and political knowledge to a number of successful political campaigns, including the following.

1. 1. U.S. Senator Paul Simon, 1984 Illinois Senatorial Race: After leaving the Tribune in 1984, David joined the campaign of United States Senator Paul Simon as communications director, and was quickly promoted to co-campaign manager. He would go on to spearhead the efforts of Simon’s 1988 Democratic Presidential nomination.
2. 2. Mayor Harold Washington, 1987 Chicago Mayoral Race: In 1987, David worked on the successful reelection campaign of Chicago’s first Black Mayor, Harold Washington. This experience of working with black candidates would inform his efforts for President Obama’s eventual historic presidential election.
3. 3. Eliot Spitzer, 2006 New York Gubernatorial Election: David consulted on the successful campaign for Democrat Eliot Spitzer’s 2006 campaign for Governor of New York.
4. 4. Deval Patrick, 2006 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election: David consulted on Democrat Deval Patrick’s 2006 campaign to become the Governor of Massachusetts. Patrick became the state’s first Black Governor, and served the state for two terms.
5. 5. Rahm Emanuel, 2006 Illinois House of Representatives Election: David served as the chief political advisor for Illinois Democrat Rahm Emanuel’s campaign for a second term in the US House of Representatives.
6. 6. Barack Obama, 2008 Presidential Election: David worked with former President Obama to devise his 2008 campaign strategy, focused on the ideas of “hope” and “change.” This led Obama to a win, and David went on to work with Obama as a senior advisor in his administration.

David’s career began in journalism, and his experience as a writer and political commentator has only grown from there. Here are some notable examples of David’s work as a writer and political contributor in the media.

• Chicago Tribune Writer: David’s first job out of college was working for the heralded Illinois newspaper the Chicago Tribune. He worked there for eight years covering national, state, and local politics, which primed him to consult on his first political campaign in 1984.
• David Axelrod’s Podcast “The Axe Files”: In conjunction with CNN and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, Axelrod began hosting a podcast in 2015 titled The Axe Files With David Axelrod, where he sits down with various political figures and celebrities for interviews and in-depth conversations about the political landscape. Some of his guests have included figures like four-star General Stanley McChrystal and comedian and director Jon Stewart.
• CNN Political Commentator: The same year his CNN podcast began, David joined the network as a senior political commentator.
• David Axelrod’s Memoir Believer: My Forty Years in Politics: David Axelrod is the author of The New York Times best-selling memoir, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics. In it, he discusses his various experiences as a political strategist, starting with his early work as a journalist and leading to his ascent as a powerful political player in the Democratic party.

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