Leading Irish American Shailagh Murray has been named as senior adviser to President Obama. She replaces top Obama figure Dan Pfeiffer.
“For four years, I’ve relied on Shailagh Murray’s strategic advice and keen ability to cut through the Washington noise to focus on what matters to everyday Americans, and I’m proud to have her as a senior adviser,” Obama said. “She’s been an invaluable asset to Vice President Biden, but fortunately for him – and the country – she’ll still be down the hall.”
When Biden spoke at the Irish America Magazine Hall of Fame in 2013 Shailagh Murray was the vital Biden contact who placed her boss in an Irish setting.
She has always ensured that Irish groups had access to the VP at key moments in the peace process and on Irish-related issues. Her Irish roots are deep, with her father's family immigrating from Ireland in the late 19th century. She comes from Murray, Cain, Kavanaugh and O'Brien stock.
Murray, currently Vice President Biden’s deputy chief of staff and communications director, is already an influential voice in Washington. She joined Biden’s team in 2011 from the Washington Post, where she worked as a Capitol Hill correspondent for six years, covering the 2006, 2008 and 2010 elections.
Prior to this, she worked as a political reporter for the Wall Street Journal from 1999 - 2005. She was born in Buffalo, NY, raised in Virginia, and attended the University of Missouri and the Northwestern School of Journalism.
"Shailagh's years of experience covering a broad array of issues ranging from domestic policy to foreign affairs make her uniquely positioned to lead our communications team," Biden said in a statement in 2011.
Murray is replacing Dan Pfeiffer as “a member of the president’s core team of advisers,” Politico reported.
David Axelrod Obama's long-time communications guru praised the appointment saying "I think she's going to be very, very valuable for the president."
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