Uber Snags Former Obama Campaign Guru

Former Obama administration adviser David Plouffe, who headed the president's 2008 campaign, is joining Uber to lead the company's policy and political efforts.

Plouffe, who left the White House in early 2013, said in a Tuesday company announcementthat he "could not be more excited to join such a vibrant company and its people who will be at the absolute leading edge of tomorrow's innovations."

The move comes just weeks after the Republican Party made overtures at the ride-sharing company, emailing a petition in support of its mission.

That email said the company was being choked by government regulations backed by taxi unions. Plouffe echoed that message, while acknowledging the policy struggle between Uber and the taxi industry.

"This controversy exists because we are in the middle of a political campaign and it turns out the candidate is Uber," he wrote on Uber's blog. "Our opponent—the Big Taxi cartel—has used decades of political contributions and influence to restrict competition, reduce choice for consumers, and put a stranglehold on economic opportunity for its drivers."