President Obama Asks Wasserman Schultz To Stay On As DNC Chairwoman
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami/AP) — Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will stay on as the Democratic Party chairwoman.
President Barack Obama asked the 20th district representative Monday and she agreed to continue her service.
Wasserman Schultz has overseen the Democratic National Committee since early 2011. Party officials credit her in part with helping the president carry her home state of Florida, as well as leading the party to an expanded majority in the Senate and more seats in the House.
"I've asked Debbie Wasserman Schultz to continue her excellent work as chair of the DNC," Obama wrote on Twitter Monday. "Thanks for all you do, Debbie."
The tweet was signed "bo", which the White House says is a signal that the president wrote it personally.
Wasserman Schultz also took to Twitter to respond, writing, "Thank you, Mr. President. I am honored to serve."
Democratic officials said Obama asked DNC members to back Wasserman Schultz when they meet in January, just after the president's inauguration.
A mother of three and a breast cancer survivor, Wasserman Schultz, 46, has represented a reliably Democratic Fort Lauderdale-area district since 2005. Along the way she has earned a reputation as a workhorse and as an outspoken liberal happy to duke it out on television with her Republican counterparts.
Throughout the presidential election, Wasserman Shultz was a particularly prominent spokeswoman for Obama in Florida, the critical swing state where the president eked out a close win in the November election. As a Jew and a strong advocate for Israel, she also provided a bulwark for Obama against Republican efforts to paint him as anti-Israel.
Wasserman Schultz also buoyed her reputation as a fundraiser during the 2012 election cycle, with Democrats noting that she was particularly adept at bringing into the fold donors to Bill and Hillary Clinton who had been wary of supporting Obama. She supported Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.
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