During the 2004 presidential election, Bird worked for the campaigns of Howard Dean and John Kerry.[4] When Barack Obama announced his candidacy in 2007, Bird joined the campaign as the field director for South Carolina.[4] Bird encouraged his campaign workers to engage voters in places like barber shops and beauty salons, and this strategy was ultimately used nationwide by the campaign.[1] Obama's victory in the South Carolina primary proved to be an important step in him winning the Democratic nomination. Following the successful South Carolina primary, Bird was promoted to Deputy National Field Director of the campaign.[5]
A month after the election took place, Bird and a team of field experts and data analysts conducted a study of the 2008 campaign. During this study, Bird concluded that contact with enthusiastic volunteers and workers was more effective at mobilizing voters than TV ads or mail. Bird also served as the deputy director of Organizing for America.[6] During Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, Bird served as the National Field Director.
After Obama's re-election, Bird co-founded 270 Strategies, a political consulting firm.[2] Bird's consulting partner is Mitch Stewart.[7]
In 2013, Ready for Hillary, a group dedicated to setting up the campaign infrastructure of a potential Hillary Clinton presidential run in 2016, announced that they had hired 270 Strategies.[9] The move was seen as a potential sign that a Clinton campaign might share many of the personnel of the Obama campaigns, including Bird.[7]
