Mitch Landrieu, a White House advisor who oversaw investments in infrastructure, resigned from his position to join the campaign of the current President of the United States and re-candidate, Democrat Joe Biden, in the November presidential election.
Known as the infrastructure ‘czar’, Landrieu is expected to assume the position of national co-chair of Biden’s campaign, reported the news website Politico.
Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans, joined the Biden executive in 2021, after the approval of the bipartisan infrastructure law and leaves office after more than 40,000 projects announced.
In the future, the infrastructure team will be led by White House deputy chief of staff, Natalie Quillian, who oversees the implementation of the main bills enacted by the Biden Administration, reported the Associated Press (AP).
Tasked with overseeing one of the most important legislative achievements of the president’s first term, Landrieu managed the distribution of billions of dollars in new funding for roads, bridges, water pipelines, broadband and more.
“When I passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, I knew I needed someone on my side who would help deliver real results for the American people.
I knew that Mitch Landrieu, a former mayor and lieutenant governor who spent more than a decade helping rebuild New Orleans [após o furacão Katrina em 2005]was the man who would help me rebuild the country”, highlighted Biden, quoted in a statement released yesterday morning.
“Mitch has always known that the true measure of success isn’t about scoring partisan points — it’s about building bridges and solving the problem at hand,” he added.
The Democrat also highlighted that Landrieu traveled thousands of kilometers to almost 150 cities across the country to hear from governors, mayors and other local leaders.
“Mitch has consistently demonstrated that, when we work together, we can do great things”, highlighted the North American head of state.
Biden’s campaign leader, Julie Chávez Rodríguez, highlighted that Landrieu will bring a “unique and valuable experience” to the re-candidacy.
“His work at the White House to showcase how President Biden is investing in America and rebuilding the backbone of our economy is critical to our re-election effort, and I’m thrilled to have him join our team as co-chair,” highlighted Rodriguez, in a statement.
Landrieu’s decision comes as some top Democrats have raised concerns about the structure of the campaign and suggested that some of Biden’s top White House advisers should cross over to the campaign.