Tom Perez, a former secretary of labor and chair of the Democratic National Committee, will join the White House as a senior adviser and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, according to two people familiar with the move.
Perez will replace Julie Chavez Rodriguez who left the White House last month to run President Biden’s reelection campaign.
In his new role, Perez will serve as the White House’s main liaison to governors, mayors and other elected officials outside of Washington. As a senior adviser, he is also expected to advise Biden on issues including labor and immigration, the people said, requesting anonymity to discuss a personnel move that was not yet public.
The White House declined to comment, and Perez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Perez, 61, served as secretary of labor in the Obama administration and worked with Biden, then the vice president, on workforce development issues. He also did a stint as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.
Perez had been floated for other jobs in the Biden administration, including head of the Domestic Policy Council, a job that went to Neera Tanden, and secretary of labor after Marty Walsh stepped down. Biden has nominated Julie Su, currently the deputy labor secretary, to replace Walsh, though she has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, Perez chaired the DNC and oversaw the competitive 2020 Democratic primary. Perez, the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, was the first Latino to lead the Democratic Party and became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his policies.
Last year Perez ran for governor of Maryland, finishing second in the Democratic primary to now-Gov. Wes Moore. Earlier in his career, Perez served on the Montgomery County Council.