Politico's Ben Smith is reporting that, as part of the effort to integrate the Democratic National Committee with the Obama campaign, large parts of the DNC will be relocating from Washington D.C. to Chicago. It's a new way of doing things and Smith surmises that it could yield some real benefits:

The move reflects Obama's desire to maintain an unusually streamlined campaign, as well as his swift and complete takeover of a Democratic Party that isn't always known for its unity. The move may also save the campaign money, as the Obama campaign can use DNC salaries and staff to pay for elements of its organizing campaign and avoid some of the duplication that has often dogged presidential efforts.

Writing that "the power will clearly be shifting to a centralized Chicago hub," Smith also reports that many of the staffers employed by the DNC's 50 State Program in battleground states will shift over to the Obama campaign.