by Christi Parsons and Mike Dorning
A family friend and political confidante of Sen. Barack Obama says she is stepping up her longstanding commitment to the Illinois Democrat in his campaign for the White House this month.
Valerie Jarrett, former chair of the Chicago Transit Authority and now CEO of Chicago’s Habitat Co., said she is becoming more active in developing political strategy as the campaign heats up this fall.
“We are in the final stretch,” Jarrett said Thursday, “and everyone is stepping up to help in any way that we can.”
Aides to the senator said Jarrett’s increased presence on the trail doesn’t indicate a change in campaign staffing. Other trusted advisers are spending more time at Obama’s campaign headquarters, among them his Senate chief of staff, Pete Rouse.
“It’s a natural thing to do,” said David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager. “It’s all-hands-on-deck time. We knew from the beginning this is going to have to be a very tough battle.”
“Anyone who understands the strategy and theory of the campaign and has been with us since the beginning, if they can spend more time on the campaign, we welcome that,” Plouffe said.
Jarrett has already been traveling with the candidate’s wife, Michelle Obama, a close friend whose law career she helped to promote when the two worked together for Mayor Richard Daley.
She may also begin traveling with the candidate himself, as he seeks to improve his standing in the polls this fall. Obama has been winning the fundraising race against frontrunner Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), but she still consistently leads the field in voter surveys.
Jarrett’s involvement in the campaign dates to its inception. She was finance chairman for Obama’s campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2004 and was one of the close friends he and his wife consulted when thinking about launching a run for president.
Plouffe said Jarrett remains an unpaid, informal adviser.
“She’s a very smart and talented person who has been with us on the campaign from the beginning and has known the Obamas for a long time,” Plouffe said.