Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max Not much good came from Sen. JOHN EDWARDS’ 2008 presidential campaign. A bid to become the Democratic nominee on a populist platform ended in ignominious fashion after it was revealed that Edwards had been having an affair with a campaign videographer while his wife was battling breast cancer. The senator skirted off from the political scene in disgrace. But for many of the staffers who manned that presidential bid, politics remained a calling. And, sure enough, a dozen years after the fact, they finally found their way to the White House. The current White House is staffed by a number of people who cut their teeth on the infamous Edwards presidential campaign. Current deputy chief of staff JEN O’MALLEY DILLON and communications director KATE BEDINGFIELD had senior roles working for Edwards. DAVID KIEVE, the former the public engagement director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Bedingfield’s husband, also worked on the 2008 campaign. Deputy Treasury Secretary WALLY ADEYEMO, and Department of Commerce senior adviser to the secretary for communications CAITLIN LEGACKI , who was an intern fresh out of college, both worked for the campaign. JAMES KVAAL, the undersecretary for education, served as a campaign policy director whose job included participating in lo-fi early YouTube videos about education policy. The soon-to-be face of JOE BIDEN’s White House, incoming press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, also was an Edwards’ alum. She served as a regional political director. Edwards himself has barely spoken to the press since acknowledging his affair, choosing instead to return to practicing law in North Carolina and retreat from public view. But when asked about the network of former staffers who have ascended to major roles in the Biden White House and administration, he gave a rare on the record remark. "They are all smart, talented, hard working and they see the extraordinary potential of America,” he said. “I was lucky to have them, the President is lucky to have them, and America is lucky to have them." For those who worked on the Edwards campaign, doing so remains a bit of a political scarlet letter. In her 2019 book, “Moving Forward,” Jean-Pierre described moving to Columbia, South Carolina to work for the campaign as a big mistake. “Of all my career decisions, the one I most regret is choosing to join the John Edwards campaign in 2007 rather than Barack Obama’s,” she said. An upstart who overperformed initial expectations in the 2004 presidential campaign, Edwards’ 2008 campaign was overshadowed by those of BARACK OBAMA and HILLARY CLINTON . He initially denied reports he’d had an affair with a campaign videographer and stayed in the race. After dropping out, he angled for a spot in Obama’s cabinet as the general election approached before finally admitting to the affair but denying he fathered their child (he later admitted paternity). Though the campaign left scars on many of its staffers (some were forced to relive the experience during ugly court proceedings years later), many who spoke with West Wing Playbook said it made sense that Edwards staffers now occupy top roles in the Biden White House. Some Edwards vets noted that close connections forged with O'Malley Dillon during the campaign have only deepened during her time on the Biden campaign and, now, in the White House. But other former aides said the campaign had built a strong policy team that focused on issues front and center for the Biden administration today: Inequality, healthcare, and climate change. “The ‘Two Americas’ theme is astoundingly prescient,” said MARK KORNBLAU, who served as Edwards’ national spokesperson in 2008. “That credit goes to a lot of people around him. But he did [also] understand.” “We put out a ton of policy that many of us remain pretty proud of,” another Edwards alum said. Jean-Pierre, too, seemed to concede that the ideas behind Edwards' run remain salient to her even if the campaign was a deeply unpleasant experience. “I remain impressed that John Edwards, despite all his failings, really focused the nation’s attention on poverty… But the whole affair was so squalid,” she wrote in her book. Asked for comment, Jean-Pierre looped in deputy press secretary CHRIS MEAGHER who didn't respond. TEXT US — ARE YOU ALEJANDRA CASTILLO, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development? We want to hear from you. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.
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