Chief Advisor

She is not yet known to the general public, but American voters will soon hear about Julie Chávez Rodríguez, chosen by Joe Biden to lead his 2024 presidential campaign. She replaces Jen O’Malley Dillon, who had officiated at from the Democrat three years ago. The person concerned recently rose to prominence, being appointed adviser to the 46th President of the United States. She also managed intergovernmental affairs at the White House, a privileged place to build her network among governors, mayors and other local leaders and to stay in contact with the field.

Descendant of heroes

Born in Delano, north of Los Angeles, this 45-year-old Californian has known from a young age door-to-door, distribution of leaflets and meetings. Nothing surprising when you are the granddaughter of peasant leader César Chávez, who died in 1993 and legendary organizer of the Californian farmworker movement in the 1960s and 1970s. A national hero. The last Democratic tenants of the White House are among his admirers. During the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama took the unionist’s famous rallying cry, “Sí se puede”, to make it his famous “Yes We Can”, and Joe Biden installed a bust of him in the Oval Office.

Highly qualified

This Berkeley graduate in Latin American studies has solid qualifications. After working in the foundation that bears her grandfather’s name, Julie Chávez Rodríguez became involved in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008. Quickly spotted, she was recruited into the team of the Secretary of the Interior of the time, Ken Salazar, then in that of Obama at the White House.

She also worked with Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be on the ticket again next year. These links have earned her the appointment of deputy campaign director for the Biden-Harris duo in 2020. The experience will be invaluable for one who has never, until now, occupied the leading roles.

Community representative

The 40-year-old will have Quentin Fulks, who led the victorious campaign of Democratic Senator from Georgia, Raphael Warnock, in the 2022 midterm elections as deputy. By placing a Hispanic woman and a black man in such strategic positions visible, Joe Biden wants to send a message to two communities whose voices will be decisive in several key states.

While the latter had been present in 2020, signs of erosion have since been noted. Voices were raised to highlight a certain frustration among these voters. For Julie Chávez Rodríguez, it will be a question of sounding the general mobilization, at a time when the new candidacy of Joe Biden arouses, for the moment, little enthusiasm among Democratic sympathizers.