Obama asks Wasserman Schultz to remain Democratic Party chair

President Barack Obama wants Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to stay on as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, party officials said on Monday.

Obama will ask DNC members to affirm his decision at a party meeting in Washington on Jan. 22.

Obama chose Wasserman Schultz to succeed former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as party chair in 2011 when Kaine stepped down to run for Senate. The 46-year-old Wasserman Schultz campaigned aggressively for Obama during his re-election bid, serving as a high-profile surrogate on television and in appearances throughout the country.

She was credited with making a particularly strong push for the president among women and Jewish voters and in her home state of Florida, where he eked out a narrow victory over Republican rival Mitt Romney.

News of Wasserman Schultz's appointment was first reported in Politico.