The elimination of the political affairs office at the White House is an effort to erase duplication, aides said. It coincides with the arrival of David Plouffe, who managed the president’s 2008 campaign and began working in the West Wing this month as a senior adviser.

Closing the office will hardly remove politics from the West Wing, considering that the political arena is central to Mr. Plouffe’s portfolio. But aides said that by moving the political staff to the Democratic National Committee, the restructuring of the political operation could reduce the likelihood that it will become a target of an investigation by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee.

The personnel moves, which were confirmed in interviews this week, represent the latest step in a major reorganization of the Obama administration. The accelerated pace of the re-election bid, particularly with no sign of any Democratic primary opponent, highlights the challenges facing Mr. Obama as he can no longer present himself as a Washington outsider. The headquarters in Chicago is intended to help connect him with Americans across the country at a time when he is also fighting Republican efforts to portray him as too liberal for the electorate.

While it may seem early to begin planning for an election that is 22 months away, the timeline for Mr. Obama is only slightly earlier than those of his two recent predecessors. Mr. Clinton filed his re-election papers on April 14, 1995, and George W. Bush formally opened his campaign on May 16, 2003. Neither president closed his political office at the White House.

Mr. Obama and his aides have been discussing the placement of the re-election headquarters in Chicago for several months. But the plan came under fresh review in the last two weeks when William M. Daley was hired as the White House chief of staff. He signed off on the decision, aides said, along with closing the political office of the White House.

Mr. Plouffe will be the main liaison between the White House and the campaign team. He said that he had studied the re-election efforts of Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush, among other presidents, and dismissed criticism from many Democrats that a Chicago headquarters and the White House could not work together.