Democratic operative Patrick Gaspard will take the reins of a top Democratic think tank, stepping into the shoes of liberal firebrand Neera Tanden.
Center for American Progress founder and board member John Podesta, a longtime Clintonworld staple, announced Gaspard’s appointment to the post Tuesday.
A former Obama administration official, Gaspard led the George Soros-run Open Society Foundations for three years before stepping down at the end of 2020.
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Gaspard is a prominent Democratic Party operative whose ties to former President Barack Obama date back years. He was appointed U.S. ambassador to South Africa in 2013, following prominent roles at the Democratic National Committee, the Obama White House and campaign, including as the national political director for Obama’s 2008 presidential bid, political director at the White House, and a top personnel official on the presidential transition.
Tanden, who joined the Biden administration as a senior adviser in May, was first nominated by President Joe Biden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, a Senate-confirmed post.
Her nomination quickly drew bipartisan rebuke. At issue was a slew of past partisan rhetoric leveled at Senate lawmakers of both parties, among others. It was eventually thwarted by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat who finds himself as one of the most important senators in the 50-50 chamber.
Unable to find a Republican vote to replace him, Tanden’s nomination was scuttled. She withdrew from contention shortly after.
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Tanden, the former CEO and president of liberal think tank the Center for American Progress, spent more than a decade at the organization before joining the Biden administration.
