Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley says Harris is an underdog
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Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley speaks with Justin Kaufmann at Axios House on Tuesday. Photo: Taylor Glascock on behalf of Axios
Bill Daley, a former White House chief of staff and Commerce secretary, attributes his power in the Democratic party to longevity, connections and knowing how the system works.
Why it matters: Daley, Chicago political royalty as the son and brother of mayors who ran the city for more than 40 years, has the ability to use this week at the Democratic National Convention to tap into his deep connections to help the Harris/Walz campaign.
Driving the news: At an Axios House event Tuesday evening, Daley said he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris is the underdog and should use the DNC stage to show who she is, not just present her policy plans.
Catch up quick: Daley was former President Barack Obama's chief of staff from 2011-2012, and Secretary of Commerce from 1997-2000 under President Bill Clinton.
- He unsuccessfully ran for Chicago mayor in 2019.
- Daley has also had leadership roles at Chase and Wells Fargo.
Flashback: Daley said the Chicago today is very similar to the city that hosted the DNC in 1996.
- "The city was in good shape. Our politics was good. We have a strong governor in Illinois, for those of you who don't know it, who has really done a great job," Daley said. "We're showing the best of Chicago."
Between the lines: Daley is often left to defend his family's legacy, and during convention time it inevitably comes back to how Daley's father, Richard J. Daley, ruled the city during the violent and tumultuous 1968 DNC.
- "The one thing I always say about 1968 ... it was one of the most tumultuous, volatile years in the history of America. You had 500,000 young Americans sitting in Vietnam."
- "Most people had no idea where Vietnam was. You had a president who got chased out of office. You had Martin Luther King assassinated, and then all the riots after that. You then had Bobby Kennedy assassinated."
- Daley also said the '68 DNC would have been very different if Kennedy had lived to be the candidate.
The intrigue: Daley paused when asked what advice he'd give Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who's been critical of Daley's brother — the city's longest serving mayor — Richard M. Daley.
- He pointed to Johnson's brief experience as an elected official, as a Cook County Board Commissioner, and that he didn't have decades of building connections and overseeing all the departments, employees and massive budget that being mayor requires.
