Pete Rouse - Co-Chair: Obama-Biden Transition Project

Rouse is Obama's Senate chief of staff and considered one of the chief architects of Obama's rapid rise from freshman Senator to president-elect. He previously served as the chief of staff to former Democratic Majority Leader Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) After Daschle lost in 2004, Rouse had initially planned to wind up a 30-plus year career on Capitol Hill and cash in on his retirement. Rouse knew Obama "a little bit" at that point, he told PBS's Frontline in an interview, but admitted he still hasn't seen or read Obama's landmark speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. After a two-hour meeting at the Mandarin Oriental, Rouse was still uncommitted, but ultimately relented. The Washington Post also recounted Obama's recruitment of Rouse – and Rouse's influence on Obama – in this August 2007 article.