Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Tina Move over Pete, there’s a new mayor in town. As Democrats look to elevate a new generation of party leaders, President JOE BIDEN has given former New Orleans mayor MITCH LANDRIEU a coveted position spearheading the implementation of a signature piece of his economic agenda. According to sources inside and outside the administration, Landrieu is seizing his opportunity— potentially positioning himself well for a future spot in the president’s inner circle and, perhaps, in a post-Biden Democratic Party. “Mitch Landrieu is a machine,” said one administration official. Coming from a political dynasty in Louisiana, Landrieu has for years been talked about as an unconventional, up-and-coming Democrat with a future on the national stage. As the White House’s new infrastructure czar, he’s getting a trial run in that spotlight. He’s managing the dispersal of $550 billion in new funding for roads, bridges, water pipelines, broadband and more from the bipartisan-passed bill, making him the caretaker of the second most ambitious piece of legislation Biden has passed. It has earned him the nickname (among some at least) of “infrastructure sheriff.” Some Democrats marvel at his good fortune, noting that he will now be chiefly associated with handing out billions of dollars for projects benefiting people across the country. “He’s Huey Long with the federal treasury right now — I mean that in a good sense,” said a source with knowledge of administration dynamics (you can be Huey Long in a bad sense). Landrieu, who took on the hefty role on Nov. 14, has some experience on this front. He oversaw the recovery of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as lieutenant governor. His ascension to the current role, nevertheless, underscores how the White House continues to center many of its main agenda priorities in the West Wing. Like him, national climate adviser GINA MCCARTHY and international climate envoy JOHN KERRY have spearheaded much of Biden’s climate change agenda. GENE SPERLING took on the implementation of the American Rescue Plan and White House coordinator JEFF ZIENTS has been a more prominent public face for the administration’s Covid-19 response than the Health and Human Services Department. Landrieu’s already building a power center in the West Wing. We’re told by an official familiar with the move that SAMANTHA SILVERBERG from the National Economic Council was named deputy infrastructure implementation coordinator. Landrieu also snagged ASMA MIRZA from her post as chief of staff of the White House Covid-19 response team to serve as his deputy for implementation management. In addition to the staffing up, Landrieu has become a fresh surrogate for a White House battling low public approval ratings—feeding talk about his future within the Biden administration. Former Democratic National Committee chair and Louisiana native, DONNA BRAZILE, considers Landrieu and his family longtime friends. And like others who spoke to West Wing Playbook, Brazile thinks Landrieu could be a much-needed fresh face and messenger for the Biden agenda. “There are a lot of policy gurus, but there’s no one who combines his governmental experience with his policy skills and his communications, his ability to translate how this helps partner people,” Brazile said. “That’s what the Biden administration has been lacking. They’ve been lacking people who know what it’s like. When you see Mayor Pete, he can explain it. It’s much easier to explain it when you’ve actually lived it versus when you’ve just been a policy person.” Since he started on the gig, the administration has deployed Landrieu as a key surrogate when Biden visits local communities to tout the benefits of his infrastructure package, and in the media. Ahead of Biden’s visit to Missouri Wednesday, Landrieu appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Every time Biden travels to promote the infrastructure law, Landrieu connects with local TV anchors, regional newspapers and Black and rural radio stations, said a White House official. He’s also playing the role of emissary to local and state pols. Landrieu said he has met personally with 30 mayors and has reached out to every governor in the country. A White House official told us he has spoken directly to 18 governors, including seven Republicans. Some Democratic sources who spoke to us said Landrieu could be a good gateway to the South and would likely be welcomed more than others in the administration in red states. “He is everything that this White House isn't,” said the source with knowledge of administration dynamics, “with the exception of [counselor to the president, Steve] Ricchetti — accessible.” Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you LISA J. KOHNKE, special assistant to the president and director of presidential scheduling? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous: westwingtips@politico.com. Or if you want to stay really anonymous send us a tip through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp here. Or you can text/Signal Alex at 8183240098. | 
