Greek-American John Podesta, who recently stepped down as Counselor to President Obama and served as Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton, is rumored to be an early favorite to become chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Politico reported.

The 66 year-old Chicago native, whose father John, Sr. was of Italian descent and whose mother, Mary (nee Kokoris) was a Greek-American, has longstanding ties to the Clinton family. Hillary wanted him on her 2008 campaign team, Politico reported.

Unquestionably a veteran of Washington Politics, Podesta is also an outspoken progressive, whose political viewpoints often veer to the left of both President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Politico sees Podesta’s heading Hillary’s campaign as an opportunity for her to connect with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, a voting bloc with which she has had a rocky relationship in the past. Conversely, Podesta’s presence might deter swing voters who are not committed to voting Republican in every circumstance, but would hesitate to pull the lever for a Democrat who is too liberal.

According to the Times, Republicans are delighted at the prospect of Podesta heading Clinton’s campaign. “You’ve got to admire someone willing to move from one sinking ship to another that’s taking on water before it’s even left port,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Michael Short told the Times. “Voters overwhelmingly don’t want a third term for President Obama’s liberal agenda, but it’s clear that’s what Hillary Clinton and John Podesta intend to give them.”

Founder of the Center for American Progress (CAP), Podesta is an impassioned environmentalist, for whom the greener the politicians he serves can be, the better.

Described by the New York Times as the Democrats “marathon man” – literally and figuratively, he is an avid runner – Podesta is credited by the newspaper as “saving” Bill Clinton’s presidency from scandalous ruin and Obama’s presidency from fading into irrelevance.

Long intrigued by Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), Podesta regretted, the Washington Post reported last week, that the White House has not been transparent enough in disclosing its UFO investigations to the public.

Amid all of the speculation, few are mentioning the fact that Hillary Clinton has yet to declare her candidacy – though all factors indicate that she will run indeed. She has about a 40-point lead over the next-highest contender, and very well may be the most crucial candidate to a major party in decades. Candidate Hillary Clinton remains the odds-on favorite to win the election, over every conceivable Republican. Conversely, any other Democrat would be the underdog against most GOP contenders.

John’s older brother, Tony, also has a long and distinguished career in politics, and is at least as left-leaning as his brother. Tony has worked on the political campaigns of liberal standard-bearers George McGovern, Edward Kennedy, and Michael Dukakis.