Robert Gibbs, 37, is reported to be at the top of President-elect Barack Obama‘s short list to fill the post of White House press secretary. He has been Obama’s Senate and campaign press secretary prior to being tapped for the new post.
Gibbs is a 1989 Auburn High School graduate from Auburn, Alabama. He graduated cum laude for North Carolina State University with a degree in political science.
Prior to joining Obama, Gibbs was press secretary for Senator John Kerry during his 2004 presidential bid. As Communication Director of Obama’s Senate office, he became a key strategist in Obama’s rapid move to the national stage. Obama has referred to Gibbs as his “one-person Southern focus group.”
Gibbs has been part of a close knit team that includes strategist David Axelrod, campaign director David Plouffe and research director Devorah Adler. In an early appointment, U.S. Rep Rahm Emanuel has been tapped for the position of White House chief of staff and has reportedly accepted the post.
According to the Washington Post, the savvy communicator is said to have unquestionable authority, access and institutional memory. He provided the following quote to FOX News on June 12, 2008: “The best way to fight rumor is with fact. If you don’t fight rumor, it becomes truth.”
Gibbs and his wife reside in Alexandria, Virginia with their five year old son.
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