The next act of President Obama’s campaign organization is starting to take shape, with his former campaign manager Jim Messina leading a plan to convert the operation into a new grass-roots lobbying effort. The first project: gun control legislation.
Mr. Messina and other senior campaign officials who are not working inside the White House are planning to lead the next phase of Obama for America, the president’s network of supporters, which has steadily grown since 2007. The group will solicit money from donors to push the president’s agenda.
“People like you spoke out and demanded action,†Mr. Messina wrote in an e-mail to supporters on Thursday. “Your input, along with ideas from leaders and policymakers across the political spectrum, went into the president’s plan.â€
The new group - and how it will be financed - will be announced as Mr. Obama’s supporters arrive in Washington this weekend for his inauguration. The future of the group will be discussed Sunday at an Obma Campaign Legacy Conference.
The group will be run as a separate entity from the Democratic National Committee, people familiar with the operation said, and it could be set up as a 501(c)4, a section of the tax code in which disclosure of donations is not required.
In announcing his gun control proposals, Mr. Obama pledged to put the “full weight†of his office behind the effort. In his message to supporters on Thursday, Mr. Messina called for their help.
“Common-sense changes can go a long way in keeping our streets and our schools safer â€" and there’s too much at stake to stand by and wait for action,†Mr. Messina wrote. “The president will not wait.â€
