While Kamala Harris is dreaming of becoming the first female president of the United States, media reports revealed that many of the Kamala Harris staffers are leaving their White House posts fearing being forever labelled as a “Harris person”, which they believe would damage their career and image.
The report said, a growing number of Harris staffers are heading out the door amid internal chaos, disastrous poll numbers and inability of Harris in properly performing as the vice president. At the same time, there also the rumors of Kamala Harris secretly gathering information about Joe Biden’s failures and health issues as well as his silent nod to Hunter Biden’s corruption and nasty activities.
The concern of being labeled a “Harris person,” as well as burnout and desire for greener pastures, are driving the exodus from the vice president’s office, sources familiar with the chaos in the VP’s office told Axios.
One anonymous Democratic strategist told media that Harris needs “someone loyal, who can think methodically to best position the vice president and to make sure everything she’s doing is being maximized and communicated to a broad population and get her numbers up”.
A different Democratic operative close to the veep’s office told Axios that the staff departures are lighting a fire under chief of staff Tina Flournoy to keep the sinking ship afloat.
“If we mess this up, it’s going to set women back when it comes to running for higher office for years to come”, the operative said.
The label of being a “Harris person” apparently carries a weighted stigma with it in Washington — something that does not bode well for the fledgling veep as her first year in office begins to wrap up.
While turnover in a political office is natural, the early departure of key staffers can send signals of struggle to those outside the office walls.
People close to the vice president’s office told Axios that the departures are normal and come from the veep team’s exhaustion after the Biden campaign and transition.
Additionally, those close to Harris’ operation said that some of the departures are being driven by eyes wandering to greener financial pastures.
The turnover might be due to the chaos interwoven throughout Harris’ operation that has seen the vice president laugh off questions about the border and produce a space-themed video using child actors, among other controversies.
Harris’ poll numbers also paint a grim picture for the veep, with her cratering approval rating tailing President Biden’s own and showing how the country’s second in command is viewed by the populace.
The “Harris person” label also spells trouble for the vice president’s future political aspirations — her name is already being floated a potential replacement for Biden should he choose not to run again in 2024.
Symone Sanders leaves Kamala Harris
Symone Sanders, senior adviser and chief spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris, is leaving the VP’s office by the end of this year, three White House officials told Axios on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The VP has faced an onslaught of criticism in her first year centered on her leadership and staff, adding to the suggestion she’s not the Democratic Party’s preferred nominee for 2024.
Earlier, Ashley Etienne — her communications director — announced her end-of-year departure last month and is no longer serving the VP’s office.
Sanders was seen as one of the central staffers for Harris as a candidate and is known to be personally trusted by Harris herself. She’s the staffer most frequently by her side.
Sanders, who previously worked for President Joe Biden’s campaign, often traveled with Harris on domestic and foreign trips as the vice president navigated the complex social and political issues Biden has assigned her to tackle.
A separate White House official familiar with the situation said the departures come amid concerns Harris is not being adequately prepared or positioned for the next natural step in her career, replacing Biden as president, and instead is being sidelined.
Harris has struggled to show she’s making an impact on voting, immigration or other policy priorities during the first year of the Biden administration. At the same time, some Republicans and conservative news outlets have made her a target of personal attacks.
Her approval ratings have been underwater for months.
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