White House adviser to 'gear-up' for 2012

CHICAGO, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- White House adviser David Axelrod says he's preparing for an early return to Chicago to get "geared up" for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.

Axelrod will be returning after the President's State of the Union speech in late January or early February, earlier than the previously announced Memorial Day date.

The return is earlier than planned so Axelrod can get the "re-elect geared up pretty soon and to get some rest," a White House source told the Chicago Tribune.

President Obama's 2012 re-election effort will be run mainly out of Chicago, and Axelrod is expected to return to the role of overall strategist he played in 2008.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina is expected to move to Chicago to run the day-to-day operations of the campaign, the Tribune reported.