Chicago is the likely base for Obama's reelection campaign

In an anti-Washington climate, distance from the nation's capital is seen as a plus.

Reporting from Washington — The White House says President Obama has not made a decision on where to locate his reelection headquarters for 2012, but observers expect the campaign to return to its 2008 base: Chicago.

Such a decision would buck recent history. Every two-term president in the last 30 years — George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan — set up reelection campaign offices near the White House or in suburban Virginia.
A key factor favoring Chicago's selection is the anti- Washington climate that has swept the country. Another is the insurgency candidacy anticipated from Obama's rivals, who are expected to make the case that the times are bad, the nation's capital is broken, Obama has been captured by Washington — and they offer voters an alternative.
Running the reelection effort out of Chicago wouldn't stop those arguments, but it could blunt them./Los Angeles Times