Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta is in line to become White House chief of staff should she win in November, but he may not serve for long, Politico reports.
With 12 days until the election, Clinton and her team have begun to anticipate their post-election business, the first being to convince Podesta to help the transition into the White House, after having served in two presidential administrations.
"She's not being arrogant, she's being diligent," a top Democrat close to Clinton told CNN. "She prepared for the debates. Now, she's getting ready to be president."
Chief of staff is widely considered the second most demanding job in Washington, but they're rewarded with more face-time with the president than any other staffer.
According to a close ally of Clinton's speaking to Politico, Podesta is one of a few the former secretary of state "can already shorthand with."
"The question is can she convince him to do it for a year," they added. "He could get the administration stabilized, and get hiring done."
But Podesta, who previously served as former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff, doesn't want his old position, which usually entails 12-hour days seven-days-a-week.
"The chief of staff is the person most responsible for executing the president's agenda and pulling together the various pieces, from policy, to politics, to communications, to legislation," Dan Pfeiffer, former top aide to President Barack Obama.
"Anyone who has this job has to be very good at many of those things. You can start to interpret how she will approach her first few years based on where that individual is strongest."
If Podesta does turn down the job, there are several other options, but none that have his inside-knowledge of D.C. politics and a comfortable relationship with Clinton.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is another rumored choice. He has experience running a federal agency and is one of Clinton's trusted advisors on rural Americans, but some close to Vilsack think he would struggle with the job.
Former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Al Gore, is another potential choice. A White House veteran who helped guide Clinton in her debate performances, he's not yet a part of Clinton's circle of close confidants.
Two of Clinton's longtime advisors, Jake Sullivan and Cheryl Mills, are also in contention, but would represent a standard choice for Clinton. They've both worked with Clinton for years in her various organizations, but would represent the insular staffing that many have criticized as enabling her desire for privacy.
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