Kate Bedingfield, a senior Biden adviser for four years, will leave the post for a strategic role in President Biden’s expected reelection campaign.
Ben LaBolt, a former adviser to Barack Obama who has worked on specific projects for President Biden, will replace White House communications director Kate Bedingfield next month when she leaves the administration for an expected role in the president’s reelection campaign as a consultant, Biden advisers said Friday.
LaBolt, a partner at the Democratic firm Bully Pulpit Interactive in San Francisco, is set to become the first openly gay person to hold the job of communications director, a role that traditionally oversees all aspects of the president’s public relations strategy. He worked for the Biden team during its transition effort after the 2020 election, and again as the head of communications for Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation effort. His appointment was first reported by NBC News.
Bedingfield, who has worked for Biden since his days as vice president, is the latest in a series of White House officials who have announced they are leaving after two grueling years, following former chief of staff Ron Klain and top economic adviser Brian Deese. She previously worked as a deputy campaign manager on Biden’s 2020 campaign and is expected to remain involved in the reelection effort once it is announced later this year, said a Biden adviser who requested anonymity to discuss the planning.
