Barack Obama has been campaigning for the past 19 years. Since Sept. 19, 1995, when he officially launched his first campaign for a seat in the Illinois state Senate, the man has been a tireless barnstormer, but he says 2014 will be his campaign curtain call.
He was 34 years old when his name first appeared on a ballot, and there’s barely been an election cycle since that hasn’t been the case.
If you look at Obama’s political career, you can’t help but see the obvious: He’s always eyed his next campaign opportunity. While serving in the Illinois Senate in 2000, he tried to make the jump to the U.S. House of Representatives but was batted back during the primaries. Never lacking confidence in his future trajectory, Obama quickly set his eyes on the U.S. Senate. He enlisted the services of political strategist David Axelrod in 2002 and launched his campaign to relocate from Springfield, Ill., to Washington D.C., as soon as the calendar flipped to 2003. The next year, the 2004 Democratic National Convention gave Obama a stage to do something almost unheard of in politics — lock up a race for the Senate while simultaneously kick-starting a presidential campaign.
It’s never been about the journey for Obama. It’s always been about the destination. And in 2008, he reached the pinnacle of Mount Poli Sci — the White House.
But old habits die hard. Since being sworn in as president in 2009, Obama has more often than not been the Campaigner in Chief. He’s flown across the country to help faltering Democratic candidates regain their footing, and he’s never been invited to a high-dollar fundraiser he didn’t want to attend.