Ben Finkenbinder leaving White House for Obama 2012 campaign in Chicago

WASHINGTON–A key White House press staffer, Ben Finkenbinder–one of President Obama’s most frequent golfing partners– will be leaving the Obama administration to become a regional press secretary on the Obama 2012 re-election campaign in Chicago.

Finkenbinder started in the press shop of the Obama 2008 presidential campaign right out of Macalester College–he was a media monitor handling clips–working his way up to join the Obama White House as associate director of Press Advance and Press Pool Wrangler.

I’m told that Finkenbinder has no favorite golf course in Chicago yet–he never had time to play during the 2008 campaign–but can be expected to find one this time around.

In Chicago, Finkenbinder will be reunited with his West Wing press colleagues who have moved to the campaign: Ben LaBolt, the Obama 2012 press secretary and Katie Hogan, the deputy press secretary.

Other most frequent Obama golfing partners besides Finkenbinder –a standout golfer at Macalester– White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson, and Chicagoan David Katz, an Energy Department staffer.