Eva Longoria Named Co-Chair of Obama's Re-Election Campaign
President Barack Obama has named 35 people to posts in his re-election campaign, including actress Eva Longoria, who will serve as a co-chair in Obama's fight to remain in the White House.
Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager, made a statement Wednesday in which he said, "The president's national co-chairs will be tremendous assets on the ground as we build the biggest grassroots campaign in history. They each share the president's vision of the future where every American can have a fair shot at success, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded."
Eva Longoria has been a long-time supporter of Obama. Back in his first presidential run in 2008, Longoria campaigned for him quite a bit. She has also hosted fundraising events for Obama, and in 2011, she served on a panel of Latino celebrities who offered advice to the president on immigration policy.
A few other celebrities were named co-chairs of the democratic re-election campaign, including Kalpen Modi, better known as Kal Penn, co-star of the "Harold and Kumar" movies, and Fox TV drama "House." Penn is also a long-time supporter of the president. In fact, he took a break from acting to serve as the Obama administration's associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
The Hollywood Reporter speculates that Obama is appointing celebrities because his administration will be needing a few favors from Hollywood in the upcoming months. His campaign will benefit greatly from wealthy celebrity contributions, and endorsements from popular celebrities usually play quite well with the public.
Some other notable names on the re-election campaign stretch beyond the entertainment industry. His two former chiefs of staff Rahm Emanuel and Bill Daley will be involved in the campaign, as well as multiple senators, state government officials, and effective volunteers from his 2008 campaign.
While it is unclear who Obama's opponent might be, it is clear that the president is gearing up to fight to stay in the White House.