Ellen Moran

Chief of Staff for the Commerce Secretary (since April 2009)

(EMILY's List)

Why She Matters

Ellen Moran is a progressive's progressive, and she has the resume to prove it.

A well-known grassroots organizer, she has led fund-raising drives for EMILY's list, the AFL-CIO, and the Democratic National Committee. She has run political campaigns for state houses, Senate and House seats, and has travelled to Indonesia for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: White House communications director-designee (Nov. 2008 to April 2009); Executive Director, EMILY's List (2005 to 2008); A.F.L.-C.I.O, Corporate Accountability Campaign Coordinator (2004 to 2005)
Birthday: May 1, 1966
Hometown: Troy, N.Y.

Alma Mater: Wheatley College, BA, 1988
Spouse: Kirk Fabel
Web site

Path to Power

Moran was born in Troy, N.Y., and grew up in Amherst, Mass. She studied English and political science at Wheaton College, and received her undergraduate degree in 1988.

Moran helped run Tom Harkin's 1992 presidential campaign. When he lost the Democratic primary, she moved to Bill Clinton's organization, where she ran the planning team for the inauguration.

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In 1993 she began working at EMILY's List, which is committed to helping elect pro-choice women. She created the organization's campaign staff training program and was its first director. She also ran the group's first voter mobilization effort.

In 2000, she ran the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's issue advocacy campaign, spending $50 million to encourage voters to support Democratic positions on such issues as abortion rights and labor.

She moved to the A.F.L.-C.I.O as the corporate accountability campaign coordinator in 2001. In that position, she launched an attack campaign against retail giant Wal-Mart, charging that the company busts unions and abuses wage and hour rules.

Moran took a leave of absence from that job in 2004 to run the DNC's independent-expenditure operation, which sidestepped federal campaign finance rules by spending private money on Sen. John F. Kerry's (D-Mass.) presidential run. She oversaw the Committee's $100 million budget, spending on television and radio ads, phone calls, and direct mail in battleground states.

She returned to EMILY's List in 2005 as Executive Director, where she supervised the national staff and developed the organization's mission.

In the 2008 Democratic primaries, Moran was an early and active Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter. She accused Obama of not being a fervent enough pro-choice advocate in the Illinois State Legislature. Moran and EMILY's List would not endorse Obama until June 6, after Clinton officially conceded the race. Moran told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that she was disappointed by the outcome.

"For so many of us who worked really hard to try to elect Hillary Clinton, these are some tough times," she told Larry King. But she also said that Obama "offers the new direction for this country that we so desperately need, that women voters need."

EMILY's List stood behind Obama in the general election, and criticized Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin for her positions on women's rights and abortion.

In November 2008, Moran was named White House communications director. The decision came as a surprise to many because Moran was not in Obama's inner circle. She asked to be transferred to the Commerce Secretary's office because of her close relationship with Locke, and she denies that she left because of internal disputes.

The Issues

Moran is a progressive Democrat who supports most liberal causes. She is pro-choice and a champion of increasing the rights of unions.

Electing more women to office

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The Network

In the White House, Moran worked closely with Press Secretary-designee Robert Gibbs and Dan Pfeiffer, her deputy. She will also interact with Obama's inner circle daily.

Though she has not been close to Obama, Moran has relationships with several of his top advisers. She worked with senior adviser David Axelrod on the Kerry campaign in 2004, and is also close to David Plouffe. Those associations will be useful as she works on developing a functional relationship with Obama. She also maintains close ties to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom she supported in the 2008 Democratic primary.

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Additional Resources