Breaking: New White House Social Secretary to Likely Be Democratic Fundraiser Julianna Smoot

An Obama administration official tells ABC News that the leading candidate to replace Desiree Rogers as White House Social Secretary is Julianna Smoot.

Smoot, currently the chief of staff for U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, was the national finance director for the 2008 presidential campaign of then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., where she headed a record-setting fundraising operation.

Before joining Kirk’s office, Smoot was a senior adviser to President Obama and co-chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

She is a veteran to Democratic fundraising, having previously served as the national finance director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. She was the senior adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, raising $21 million for his failed 2004 reelection campaign. A native of North Carolina, Smoot also headed fundraising for former Sen. John Edward’s Senate bid, and she previously held positions under Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.

The White House today issued the following statement on Rogers:

“We are enormously grateful to Desiree Rogers for the terrific job she’s done as the White House Social Secretary. When she took this position, we asked Desiree to help make sure that the White House truly is the People’s House, and she did that by welcoming scores of everyday Americans through its doors, from wounded warriors to local schoolchildren to NASCAR drivers.

"She organized hundreds of fun and creative events during her time here, and we will miss her. We thank her again for her service and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

-jpt