Entertainment

Obama rewards loyalists Eva Longoria and Kal Penn with big campaign roles

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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The nearly three dozen re-election committee “co-chairs” named by President Barack Obama Wednesday are an interesting indication of the incumbent’s strategic thinking as his campaign shifts into high gear. Taken together, the appointees are a roadmap not just to where the president and his political advisers see his support, but also to where they hope to deepen or extend it.

Two of the 35 nominees — Eva Longoria and Harold and Kumar star Kal Penn (real name Kalpen Modi) are longtime and unwavering Obama supporters. She vigorously campaigned for him last time around and he actually served for a time as associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Their appointment recognizes not simply their personal loyalty to the president, but also the importance Obama and his political strategists attach to Hollywood in this crucial stage of their reelection effort. They’ll be looking to the entertainment industry for both contributions and high visibility celebrity endorsements of the sort both Longoria and Penn provide.

Full story: Obama rewards loyalists Eva Longoria and Kal Penn with big campaign roles