Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have hired former Hillary Clinton pollster Joel Benenson to do work for their charity, but the move is reviving talk Zuckerberg plans to run for office, Politico reported.
Benenson Strategy Group was hired to do research for the couple's charity organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is funded by Facebook. Politico said the hiring of Benenson is a sign the couple are moving their charitable work more into politics and policy.
They already have hired President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe as the group's president of policy and advocacy. President George W. Bush's 2004 campaign manager Ken Mehlman is a board member.
Benenson also served as a pollster for Obama.
The 33-year-old Zuckerberg has long maintained he has no aspirations for elected office. But his and Chan's tour of all 50 states has fueled speculation he might have his eyes on the White House.
Still, Politico noted, the hiring of Benensen is no confirmation of Zuckerberg's political plans. Benensen Strategy Group has an affiliation with multiple nonprofit groups, including AARP, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation.
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