David Plouffe

Plouffe was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware.{{cite web|url=http://www.wilmu.edu/news/newsArticle.aspx?newsID=438|title=Wilmington University News Release - David Plouffe, Author of 'The Audacity to Win', Will Visit Wilmington University|work=wilmu.edu|access-date=19 September 2015}} He is from a working-class Roman Catholic family (he is now a practicing Episcopalian{{cite web | url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/off-message-david-plouffe-2016-219942 | title=Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews David Plouffe | website=Politico | date=February 29, 2016 }}),[http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/off-message-david-plouffe-2016-219942 Politico: "Full transcript: POLITICO's Glenn Thrush interviews David Plouffe" by Politico Staff] February 29, 2016|"So I was perusing Wikipedia before I came in, because I realized I've read your book, I've talked with you 10,000 times, and I never looked at your Wikipedia page. And the first thing I realized about you that I didn't know is Wikipedia says you're Jewish. You are not apparently Jewish, right? DAVID PLOUFFE: No. I may be honorary Jewish, but no, I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school, and now am a practicing Episcopalian." the son of Frances (née Vincent), a stay-at-home mother, and James Everett "Jim" Plouffe, a factory worker who later worked in marketing.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/us/politics/plouffe-obama-aide-lends-firm-hand-to-campaign.html?pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times|first=Mark|last=Leibovich|title=Plouffe, Obama Aide, Lends Firm Hand to Campaign|date=February 20, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/delawareonline/obituary.aspx?pid=156870306|title=James Plouffe obituary - Wilmington, DE - The News Journal|work=The News Journal|access-date=September 19, 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/david-plouffe/gIQAv9nc9O_topic.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828050123/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/david-plouffe/gIQAv9nc9O_topic.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 28, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=David PPlouffe profile|date=January 25, 2013}}

Plouffe attended St. Mark's High School. He left the University of Delaware prior to graduation in 1989 to pursue a full-time career in politics and he completed his full undergraduate degree in May 2010.{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/10/19/former-mccain-obama-aides-schmidt-and-plouffe-join-at-university-of-delaware|title=Former McCain, Obama Aides Schmidt and Plouffe Join at University of Delaware|date=October 19, 2009|work=U.S. News & World Report}}

Plouffe began his political career by working for Senator Tom Harkin's 1990 re-election campaign.Julianna Goldman, [https://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080616/pl_bloomberg/absxpaj7gbes Obama's Aide Plouffe Plots Victory From Background], yahoo.com; accessed July 4, 2008. He later worked as a state field director for Harkin's unsuccessful 1992 presidential campaign. In the same year, he successfully managed Congressman John Olver's first re-election bid in Massachusetts. In 1994, Plouffe managed Delaware Attorney General Charles M. Oberly's unsuccessful campaign against Senator William V. Roth.

Plouffe was the campaign manager for Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign. He is credited with the campaign's overall strategy in the race (primarily against then-Senator Hillary Clinton) for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, to focus on the first caucus in Iowa and on maximizing the number of pledged delegates, as opposed to focusing on states with primaries and the overall popular vote. He is also credited by The New Republic for Obama's success in the Iowa caucus and for crafting an overall strategy to prolong the primary past Super Tuesday. The Chicago Tribune wrote "Plouffe was the mastermind behind a winning strategy that looked well past Super Tuesday's contests on Feb. 5 and placed value on large and small states".{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-plouffe-obamajun09,0,3326662.story|title=Obama's campaign chief: low profile, high impact|first=John|last=McCormick|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=2008-06-08|access-date=2008-06-09}} Plouffe also maintained discipline over communications, including controlling leaks and releasing information about the campaign on its terms. Personally averse to publicity, Plouffe's control over the internal workings of the campaign avoided the publicly aired squabbles that tend to trouble campaigns.

In June 2008, when then-Senator Obama clinched the Democratic Party nomination, he thanked Plouffe for being the one "who never gets any credit, but has built the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States". In May 2008, David Axelrod praised Plouffe, stating he had "done the most magnificent job of managing a campaign that I've seen in my life of watching presidential politics. To start something like this from scratch and build what we have built was a truly remarkable thing".{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/01/AR2008050103509.html?nav=hcmodule|title=The Player at Bat - David Axelrod, the Man With Obama's Game Plan, Is Also the Candidate's No. 1 Fan|first=Robert G.|last=Kaiser|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2008-05-02|access-date=2008-05-06}}

After winning the election on November 4, Obama credited Plouffe in his acceptance speech, calling him "the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the...best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America".{{cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-text1105,0,2684817.story|title=Text of Obama's Acceptance Speech|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=2008-11-05|access-date=2008-11-10|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113163102/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-text1105%2C0%2C2684817.story|archive-date=November 13, 2008}}

Plouffe began working as an outside senior adviser to the Obama administration in January 2009. His book The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, discussing management strategies and tactics that he used in the 2008 campaign,{{cite news|last=Italie|first=Hillel|title=Obama campaign manager David Plouffe agrees to 7-figure deal for book|date=February 4, 2009|publisher=Associated Press|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/39028317.html|access-date=February 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207053615/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/39028317.html|archive-date=February 7, 2009|url-status=dead}} was published on November 3, 2009, and became a New York Times bestseller.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

He later issued a video challenge for Obama supporters to buy a copy of his book on December 8, 2009, to "Beat Sarah Palin" and her bestselling book for one day.{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/12/david-plouffe-throwback-strategy-challenge/31345|title=David Plouffe Throwback Strategy Challenge|first=Marc|last=Ambinder|work=The Atlantic|date=December 7, 2009|access-date=September 19, 2015}}Penguin Books (2009). [http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670021338,00.html The Audacity to Win] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108121858/http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780670021338,00.html |date=November 8, 2009 }}; retrieved October 29, 2009.

Plouffe signed with the Washington Speakers Bureau to give paid speeches and plans to engage in non-government consulting work.{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16254.html|title=Publishers jump at Plouffe book|first=Mike|last=Allen|publisher=Politico|date=2008-12-05|access-date=2008-05-06}}

In May 2009, Plouffe delivered the convocation address at Cornell University.[http://cornellsun.com/section/news/content/2009/02/27/obamas-campaign-manager-set-speak-convocation Obama's Campaign Manager Set to Speak at Convocation], The Cornell Daily Sun, September 27, 2009.

File:Barack Obama jokes with Joe Biden and David Plouffe, 2012.jpg

In January 2011, Plouffe joined the White House as Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor. Plouffe replaced David Axelrod as Senior Advisor when Axelrod returned to Chicago to help run President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.{{cite news|last=Stone|first=Daniel|title=David Plouffe, Obama's Whiz Kid, Returns|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/01/07/david-plouffe-obamas-whiz-kid-returns-to-the-white-house.html|access-date=May 10, 2013|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=January 7, 2011}}

In his role as senior advisor, Plouffe led the crafting of White House strategy and communicating the president's message. He attended the president on his domestic and overseas visits, including the May 2011 state visit to the UK.{{cite web|title=US State Visit, May 24 to 26, 2011 Guest List|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/StateVisitprogrammes/2011/Sta/GuestList.aspx|publisher=Royal Family official website|access-date=September 20, 2017}}

After a successful reelection and inauguration of President Obama, Plouffe departed the White House in January 2013. During a national news event, on his final day in the White House, Plouffe was singled out by the president saying, "What people don't always realize, because he doesn't like to show it, is the reason he does this stuff is because he cares deeply about people. And he cares about justice, and he cares about making sure that everybody gets a shot in life. And, those values have motivated him to do incredible things, and were it not for him, we would not have been as effective a White House and I probably wouldn't be here."{{cite web|publisher=The White House |date=January 25, 2013|title=Remarks by the President at a Personnel Announcement |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/25/remarks-president-personnel-announcement |access-date=March 4, 2021}}

For months before the 2016 election David Plouffe made his rounds to news outlets declaring that Donald Trump had no

chance to beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. This gaffe was so monumental that he is best known outside

of Democratic circles only for his atrocious predictions. In fact, the name Plouffe is be used in political parlance almost

as a verb for being confidently wrong.

After leaving the White House in early 2013, Plouffe became a contributor for Bloomberg TV and ABC News.{{cite news|last=Cowie|first=Amanda|title=David Plouffe Joins Bloomberg TV|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/pressroom/david-plouffe-joins-bloomberg-tv|access-date=May 10, 2013|newspaper=Bloomberg|date=April 25, 2013}}

In April 2013, Plouffe was inducted into the American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame.{{cite news|last=Gavin|first=Patrick|title=David Axelrod, David Plouffe to Hall of Fame|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/david-axelrod-david-plouffe-hall-of-fame-89640.html|access-date=May 10, 2013|newspaper=Politico|date=April 4, 2013}}

Plouffe met with Hillary Clinton in mid-2013 to help out in her campaign for president, having claimed that Clinton approached him first. In September 2015, Plouffe reportedly played a key role in convincing Vice President Joe Biden not to challenge Clinton, telling Biden "not to end his career in embarrassment with a third place finish in Iowa", according to multiple accounts of the meeting.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/14/obama-biden-relationship-393570|title = 'The President Was Not Encouraging': What Obama Really Thought About Biden| website=Politico | date=August 14, 2020 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/2016-barack-obama-hillary-clinton-democratic-establishment-campaign-primary-joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-214023|title=How Obama & Clinton are trying to save the dem establishment|website=Politico |date=May 8, 2020 }}

In the summer of 2014, rumors circulated that Plouffe might return to the White House as Chief of Staff. On August 5, 2014, Plouffe denied he planned to return at a Politico Playbook lunch, and White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said he did not expect Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to depart.{{cite web|last1=Budoff Brown|first1=Carrie|title=David Plouffe: The most popular guy in Washington|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/david-plouffe-barack-obama-109753.html|website=www.politico.com|date=August 6, 2014 |publisher=Politico|access-date=August 6, 2014}}

On August 19, 2014, Plouffe was appointed as Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategy at Uber.{{cite web|title=A LEADER FOR THE UBER CAMPAIGN|url=http://blog.uber.com/davidplouffe|website=www.uber.com|access-date=August 19, 2014}} The company had just raised $18.2 billion in its most recent funding round.{{cite web | url=https://money.cnn.com/2014/08/19/technology/mobile/uber-obama/index.html | title=Uber hires former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe | date=August 19, 2014 }} Uber at the time was facing heavy regulatory hurdles and the hiring of Plouffe was seen as a way for the company to get these regulations lifted.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/technology/uber-picks-a-political-insider-to-wage-its-regulatory-battles.html | title=Uber Picks David Plouffe to Wage Regulatory Fight | work=The New York Times| date=August 19, 2014 | last1=Isaac | first1=Mike }}

In January 2017, Plouffe was hired by Mark Zuckerberg to lead policy and advocacy at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. He led a bipartisan policy board alongside Ken Mehlman where they announced policy members and worked to find opportunities to work with the government.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/10/ubers-david-plouffe-to-join-chan-zuckerberg.html|title=Uber's David Plouffe to join Chan Zuckerberg Initiative|last=Balakrishnan|first=Anita|date=2017-01-10|website=CNBC|access-date=2017-04-21}}

In September 2019, Plouffe was invited to join the board of directors of ACRONYM, a liberal nonprofit group focused on digital messaging, by CEO Tara McGowan. He advises program work at ACRONYM and bolsters the organization's fundraising efforts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/05/david-plouffe-to-join-acronym-board-of-directors-1481734|title=David Plouffe to join ACRONYM board of directors|last=Montellaro|first=Zach|date=2019-09-05|website=Politico|access-date=2019-12-04}}

Plouffe hosts a podcast, Campaign HQ with David Plouffe, which is a partnership with Cadence13.{{cite news |last1=Darnell |first1=Tim |title=Last woman standing: Tulsi Gabbard ends White House bid, endorses Joe Biden |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/last-woman-standing-tulsi-gabbard-ends-white-house-bid-endorses-joe-biden/SuriRk8oY9nsIHxEvUCOBI/ |access-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=March 19, 2020}}{{cite news |title=Cadence13 Launches Campaign HQ with David Plouffe |url=https://news.radio-online.com/articles/n37468/Cadence13-Launches-Campaign-HQ-with-David-Plouffe |access-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=Radio Online |date=September 13, 2019}}

In August 2024, Plouffe joined the Harris campaign as a senior advisor.{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/02/plouffe-joins-harris-campaign-as-senior-adviser-00172478 |title=Plouffe among corps of new advisers to Harris campaign |publisher=Politico|date=August 2, 2024 |last=Lizza |first=Ryan}}

Plouffe has drawn criticism for his paid speaking engagements abroad while on hiatus from advising Obama. In early 2009, Plouffe spoke in Baku, Azerbaijan, for $50,000. The event's sponsor had ties to Azerbaijan's authoritarian government. Following complaints from human rights groups, Plouffe donated his speaking fees to the National Democratic Institute.{{cite news|title=From Knife Seller to the President's Hard Edge|author=Mark Leibovich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/us/politics/plouffe-obama-aide-lends-firm-hand-to-campaign.html?pagewanted=all|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 21, 2012|page=A1|access-date=August 6, 2012}}{{cite news|title=Plouffe speech in Azerbaijan draws fire|author=Vogel, Kenneth P.|author-link=Kenneth P. Vogel|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18818.html|newspaper=Politico|date=February 12, 2012|access-date=August 6, 2012}}

In December 2010, Plouffe received $100,000 for two speeches in Nigeria from an affiliate of the South African telecommunications company MTN Group. At the time, MTN had been doing business with the government of Iran since 2005. MTN later came under increased scrutiny by the United States due to allegations that the Iranian government used the MTN network to track and monitor dissidents. MTN has been listed on the "Iran Business Registry" of watchdog group United Against Nuclear Iran since 2009.{{cite news|title=Obama associate got $100,000 fee from affiliate of firm doing business with Iran|author=Hamburger, Tom & Peter Wallsten|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-associate-got-100000-fee-from-affiliate-of-firm-doing-business-with-iran/2012/08/05/5e6888a2-dda2-11e1-8e43-4a3c4375504a_print.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 5, 2012|access-date=August 6, 2012}} White House spokesman Eric Schultz stated that Plouffe had only spoken to the group about digital communications and cellular technology, and had declined to meet with the company's leadership. Schultz also said the criticism of Plouffe's speeches before he joined the White House was "misplaced".{{cite news|last=Baker|first=Peter|title=Aide's Fees Draw Critics and, Then, Defenders|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/us/politics/david-plouffe-defended-for-ties-to-iran-linked-company.html?_r=1&|access-date=May 10, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 7, 2012}}

In 2013, in response to accusations from Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) that the Obama administration knew about the IRS targeting of not-for-profit conservative groups for extra scrutiny, Plouffe tweeted: "Strong words from Mr Grand Theft Auto and suspected arsonist/insurance swindler. And loose ethically today", referring to two incidents in Issa's past. In 1972, while a teenager, Issa was accused of stealing a Maserati sports car; the charges were later dropped. In 1982, a Cleveland warehouse belonging to Issa burned to the ground. The fire was ruled suspicious and Issa collected an insurance payout, but he was not charged with any crime.Blake, Aaron. {{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/06/03/plouffe-calls-issa-mr-grand-theft-auto|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Plouffe calls Issa 'Mr. Grand Theft Auto'|date=June 3, 2013|access-date=September 20, 2017}}

Hoffmann, Bill. [http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=2&ARTICLE_ID=38547 "Plouffe, White House Aides Target Issa"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110164426/http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=2&ARTICLE_ID=38547 |date=2013-11-10 }}, Baltimore Jewish Life, June 3, 2013.Jackson, David, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/06/03/obama-darrell-issa-david-plouffe-irs-investigation/2383659 "Rep. Issa, Obama aide have war of words"], usatoday.com, June 3, 2013.Tapper, Jake. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130607223008/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/02/irs-controversy-turns-personal-nasty/ "IRS controversy turns personal, nasty"], cnn.com, June 2, 2013.Frank, James. [https://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/06/03/188430285/white-house-issa-fight-nasty-but-normal-in-Washington NPR: "White House-Issa Fight: Nasty But Normal In Washington"], npr.org, June 3, 2013.Kopan, Tal. [http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/david-plouffe-darrell-issa-twitter-92132.html "David Plouffe rips Darrell Issa 'loose ethically'"], politico.com, June 3, 2013.

In February 2017, Plouffe was fined $90,000 by the Chicago Board of Ethics for the violation of ethics rules when he failed to register as a lobbyist after contacting Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to help Uber with regulations for picking up travelers at Chicago airports. The board fined Uber $2,000 as well for hiring a lobbyist who violated the city's lobbying laws.{{cite web|title=Fined|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2017/02/16/ex-obama-aide-david-plouffe-fined-regarding-uber.html|website=Chicago Business Journal|date=February 16, 2017}}

• Plouffe, David. The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory, Viking Adult (November 3, 2009); {{ISBN|978-0-670-02133-8}}
• A Citizen's Guide to Beating Donald Trump

Plouffe appeared on Race for the White House in the episode about the 1948 United States presidential election.

Plouffe is married to Olivia Morgan, a senior advisor to Maria Shriver's A Woman's Nation, a member of Obama's President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities,{{cite web|url=http://www.awomansnation.com/acknowledgements.php|title=The Shriver Report|publisher=awomansnation.com|access-date=2010-05-06|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216051824/http://awomansnation.com/acknowledgements.php|archive-date=December 16, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pcah.gov/2009Bios/Morgan.html|title=Olivia Morgan, Washington, DC|publisher=President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129133128/http://www.pcah.gov/2009Bios/Morgan.html|archive-date=November 29, 2009}} and Director of Federal Relations to then California Governor Gray Davis.{{cite news |title=Olivia Morgan |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-morgan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109204714/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-morgan |archive-date=9 November 2012 |work=HuffPost |access-date=24 February 2024}} The couple resides in San Francisco, and has two children.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Cillizza|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Plouffe to the Senate?|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/11/plouffe_to_the_senate.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709151848/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/11/plouffe_to_the_senate.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2009 |date=2008-11-07|access-date=2008-11-07}}

• List of Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign staff members
• Organizing for America

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}

• {{C-SPAN|83080}}
• [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/david_plouffe Collected news and commentary] at The New York Times
• [http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=22876 David Plouffe Ubben Lecture] at DePauw University, February 2, 2009
• [http://www.portfolio.com/views/columns/the-world-according-to/2008/12/11/David-Plouffe-Interview interview] at Conde Nast Portfolio
• [http://ccragg123.libsyn.com/david-plouffe-obama-s-2008-campaign-manager-on-his-book-audacity-to-win-again- Radio interview with Claudia Cragg KGNU on 'The Audacity to Win'']

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