Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I tīmata te mahi tōrangapū a Keenan me te mahi whakangungu i roto i te ruma mēra o te tari senate o Ted Kennedy i te 2003, i mua i te haere ki te noho hei kaiawhina ture mo te senate. Whai muri i tana mahi hei kaiawhina kaimahi mo te Komiti Hauora, Maatauranga, Mahi me nga Pension o te Senate, i whiwhi a Keenan i te tohu paetahi mo nga kaupapa here a te iwi i te John F. Kennedy School of Government, e ako ana i te tuhi korero me te tuku korero i raro i a Steve Jarding. I te tau 2007, i haere a Keenan ki te mahi whakangungu ā-marama i roto i te tuhi kōrero i runga i
Ko te kaupapa perehitini a Barack Obama, e mahi ana i raro i a Jon Favreau, i mua i tana hokinga ki te Kura o Kennedy ki te whakaoti i te tau tuarua o ana akoranga. I uru tonu ia ki te kaupapa i roto i te tau, i rere ki Iowa i te wa o te hararei Kirihimete ki te awhina i te whakarite mo nga huihuinga o Iowa. Whai muri i te whakaaetanga a Hillary Clinton i te Pipiri 2008, ka hoki mai a Keenan hei kaimahi wa-katoa mo te kaupapa perehitini a Obama.