David Axelrod Biography
David Axelrod is a notable figure in American politics, having served as a key strategist and staffer in the White House. He gained widespread recognition for his role as the chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Following Obama’s inauguration, Axelrod took on the role of Senior Advisor to the President. Today, he leads the nonpartisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and hosts The Axe Files, a podcast produced by both CNN and his institute.
David Axelrod grew up on the Lower East Side of New York City, spending his childhood in the Stuyvesant Town neighborhood. He was raised in a liberal Jewish family and celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Brotherhood Synagogue in Manhattan.
His mother, Myril Bennett (née Davidson), was a journalist for the liberal newspaper PM back in the 1940s and later transitioned to advertising at Young & Rubicam. His father, Joseph Axelrod, was a psychologist and a devoted baseball fan who immigrated to the U.S. from Eastern Europe as a child. Axelrod attended Public School 40 in Manhattan, but his parents separated when he was just eight years old. In a 2021 op-ed for CNN, he shared that his father battled severe depression, which tragically led to his suicide when Axelrod was 19.
Looking back on his journey into politics, Axelrod has said that he was motivated by a strong sense of idealism and a desire to contribute to meaningful change. His interest in politics sparked early—at the age of 13, he was already selling campaign buttons for Robert F. Kennedy.
After finishing up at Stuyvesant High School in 1972, Axelrod went on to the University of Chicago, where he majored in political science. During his college years, he wrote about politics for the Hyde Park Herald and landed an internship at the Chicago Tribune, setting the stage for his future career in political strategy and media.
David Axelrod CNN
Axelrod is a former chief strategist and senior counselor to President Barack Obama, as well as a veteran of politics and journalism. He is the host of The Axe Files, a podcast co-produced by CNN, and his nonpartisan Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, where he is the Director.
David Axelrod Career
Axelrod has worked as a consultant for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for many years. He also assisted John Edwards’ losing presidential campaign in 2004. The Liberal Party of Ontario hired Axelrod in 2002 to help Dalton McGuinty and his party win a seat in the legislature in the October 2003 election. Axelrod worked on a number of campaigns in 2006, including Eliot Spitzer’s successful gubernatorial campaign in New York and Deval Patrick’s election as governor of Massachusetts.
After two key officials in the administration of longstanding client, Chicago Mayor Daley was indicted for what federal prosecutors described as “pervasive fraud” in the recruitment and promotions of City Hall, he authored an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune in defense of patronage.
As a contractor, he worked for Exelon, an Illinois-based utility that owned the country’s largest nuclear reactor fleet. He was the chief strategic advisor to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s U.S. chair in 2006. Rahm Emanuel, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. He was a Communication Studies Associate Professor at Northwestern University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Human Letters by DePaul University in 2009.
During the 2008 presidential election, Axelrod considered retiring from politics. Before giving an anti-war speech in 2002, Obama met with Axelrod. The Obama campaign’s main slogan, “change,” was created with Axelrod’s input. Obama’s victory in the Iowa caucuses was aided by his promise of change.
David Axelrod Age
How old is David? Axelrod is 71 years old as of 2026. He was born on 22 February 1955 in Lower East Side, New York, United States, he celebrates her birthday on the 22nd of February every year.
David Axelrod Education
Axelrod attended the University of Chicago, where he majored in political science.
David Axelrod Nationality | Ethnicity
What ethnicity is David? he belongs to white ethnicity/heritage. He was born and raised in Lower East Side, New York, United States, and he holds American nationality and citizenship by birth.
David Axelrod Height
David has a height of 6 feet 1 inch (1.88 m).
David Axelrod Parents | Family
He grew up in the Lower East Side of New York City, born to Joseph Axelrod, a psychologist with a deep love for baseball, and Myril Bennett (née Davidson), who made her mark as a journalist for PM, a progressive newspaper from the 1940s, before transitioning to an advertising executive role at Young & Rubicam in Manhattan. When he was just eight, his parents went their separate ways. Alex was brought up in a liberal Jewish household and celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Brotherhood Synagogue in Manhattan.
David Axelrod Wife | Married
David is happily married to Susan Landau, the two met at the University of Chicago, Susan is the daughter of science doctor Richard L. Landau, The two got married in 1979. In June 1981, their first child, a daughter, was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of seven months. They also have two sons Michael Axelrod and Ethan Axelrod.
David Axelrod Daughter
The couple tied the knot in 1979 and welcomed their first child, a daughter named Lauren Axelrod, in June 1981. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was just seven months old.
David Axelrod Salary
Axelrod earns an estimated salary ranging between $90,000 – $ 110,500 per year.
David Axelrod Net Worth
Axelrod has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 Million – $3 Million which he has earned through being a political consultant and analyst.
