Obama boosts DNC chief

WASHINGTON - President Obama wants Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to stay on as his party's chairwoman.

Wasserman Schultz has overseen the Democratic National Committee since early 2011. Party officials credit her in part with helping the president carry her home state of Florida, as well as leading the party to an expanded majority in the Senate and more seats in the House.

"I've asked Debbie Wasserman Schultz to continue her excellent work as chair of the DNC," Obama wrote on Twitter on Monday. "Thanks for all you do, Debbie."

The tweet was signed "bo," which the White House says is a signal that Obama wrote it personally.

Wasserman Schultz also took to Twitter to respond: "Thank you, Mr. President. I am honored to serve."

Democratic officials said Obama asked DNC members to back Wasserman Schultz when they meet in January, just after the president's inauguration.

A mother of three and a breast cancer survivor, Wasserman Schultz, 46, has represented a reliably Democratic Fort Lauderdale-area district since 2005. Along the way she has earned a reputation as a workhorse and as an outspoken liberal happy to duke it out on television with her Republican counterparts.

Throughout the presidential election, Wasserman Schultz was a particularly prominent spokeswoman for Obama in Florida, the critical swing state where the president eked out a close win in the November election. As a Jew and a strong advocate for Israel, she also provided a bulwark for Obama against Republican efforts to paint him as anti-Israel.