Editing Tom Daschle (section)

===Obama campaign===
[[File:Tom Daschle 2008 DNC (cropped1).jpg|thumb|right|Daschle speaks during the third night of the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]] in [[Denver]], Colorado.]]
On February 21, 2007, the [[Associated Press]] reported that Daschle, after ruling out a presidential bid of his own in December 2006, had thrown his support behind Senator [[Barack Obama]] of [[Illinois]] for the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], saying that Obama "personifies the future of Democratic leadership in our country."<ref>{{cite web | title =Ex-Senate leader Daschle endorses Obama | publisher =NBC News | date =February 21, 2007 | url =https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17263273 | access-date =November 6, 2007 }}</ref>

In January 2005, having suggested that Obama take on some of his staffers, Daschle exited the Senate just as Obama entered.<ref name="multiple" /> These included Daschle's outgoing chief-of-staff [[Pete Rouse]] who helped to create a two-year plan in the Senate that would fast-track Obama for the presidential nomination. Daschle himself told Obama in 2006 that "windows of opportunity for running for the presidency close quickly. And that he should not assume, if he passes up this window, that there will be another."<ref name="multiple">[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/interviews/daschle.html FRONTLINE Interview: The Choice 2008] Retrieved February 5, 2009</ref>

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Daschle served as a key advisor to Obama and one of the national co-chairs for Obama's campaign.<ref>Margaret Talev, "[https://archive.today/20130129021234/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/56176.html Ex-Senate leader Daschle to serve as HHS head]", ''McClatchy Newspapers'', November 19, 2008.</ref> On June 3, 2008, Obama lost to Hillary Clinton in the [[South Dakota Democratic primary, 2008|Democratic primary]] in Daschle's home state of South Dakota, although that night Obama clinched his [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008|party's nomination]] anyway.

Two days later, sources indicated Daschle "is interested in [[universal health care]] and might relish serving as [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|HHS secretary]]."<ref name=nationaljournalhhs>{{cite web | last = McPike | first = Erin | title = Daschle Warm To Obama Health Role | work = NationalJournal.com | date = June 5, 2008 | url = http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cda_20080605_5814.php | access-date = June 7, 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080608061311/http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cda_20080605_5814.php | archive-date = June 8, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> In the general election campaign, Daschle continued to consult Obama, campaign for him across [[swing state]]s, and advise his campaign organization until Obama was ultimately elected the [[Presidency of Barack Obama|44th President of the United States]] on November 4, 2008.