President Joe Biden’s long-time advisor and White House communications director, Kate Bedingfield, is leaving the White House and joining the slew of communications officials parting ties with the administration ahead of the midterm elections.
Bedingfield’s tenure as a top aide to Biden dates back to her role as his communications director during Biden’s second term as vice president under Barack Obama. She was an instrumental player in his Presidential election, acting as deputy campaign manager throughout his 2020 bid.
“She has played a huge role in everything the President has achieved – from his second term as Vice President, through the campaign, and since coming to the White House,” Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain said in a statement.
Bedingfield began her role as White House communications director at the start of Biden’s presidency and has since been credited with having a considerable impact on the execution of the Biden administration’s agenda.
“Without Kate Bedingfield’s talent and tenacity, Donald Trump might still be in the White House, the Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Law might still be unrealized goals, and Ketanji Brown Jackson might not be sitting on the Supreme Court,” Klain continued.
White House officials have attributed her departure to her desire to “spend more time with her husband and two young children,” ABC News reported. She is expected to continue to provide counsel to the White House from outside Pennsylvania Avenue.
“Her strategic acumen, intense devotion to the President’s agenda, and fierce work on his behalf are unmatched,” Klain stated. “She will continue to remain a critical player in moving the Biden agenda forward from the outside.”
Bedingfield’s exit comes as the Biden administration faces historic inflation rates and declining approval ratings, all while the country prepares for the upcoming November midterm elections.
Her departure from the White House mirrors recent moves made by fellow communications staffers, such as former Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Deputy Communications Director Pili Tobar. Other lower-level press aides have also left the White House in the past two months.
Though Bedingfield’s successor remains under speculation, it is certain that the Biden administration must now add finding replacements for several members of its communications department to its notecard.