Vice President Kamala Harris was less than welcome in President Biden’s campaign headquarters during the early days of her presidential run.
Along with the nod, Harris inherited an office in a state she didn’t know and with a team she didn’t choose. The signs are changing quickly, and the staff is either excited or nervous about getting their new email addresses, which will now end with @kamalaharris.com instead of @joebiden.com.
The staffers at Biden’s campaign headquarters were already crumbling under the pressure of the President’s failing campaign. More than a dozen people working on the campaign said it was a mess and were discouraged.
This confusion and disappointment existed before Biden’s debate performance and the following weeks. Staffers grew frustrated as Biden barely defended himself against criticism from other Democrats.
Staffers spent their days trying to shut down anyone who doubted Biden. Younger staff members’ creative ideas were often slowed by Biden’s close group of advisors, who were almost as old as the 81-year-old president and had vastly different ideas about news and campaigning.
Now, as Harris steps in, the campaign must reinvent itself. One staffer explained, “This campaign was built to elect Joe Biden. But now it has to retool to elect Kamala Harris, who’s a Black and South Asian woman in the year 2024.”
Advisors for Biden and Harris have agreed to plan events together throughout the summer and fall. Now, top aides are working to get their campaign teams to cooperate.
As staffers rush to rebrand logos and signs for Harris, one noted that the biggest change needed was a mental shift from “defense mode,” where it has lived for months, to “offense” mode.
A campaign spokesperson didn’t say if Mike Donilon, Biden’s longtime advisor who had left the White House to help with the campaign, would still be making ads for the vice president. He was skilled at capturing Biden’s voice and spirit, but few people think he’ll have a role in Harris’s campaign.
Steve Ricchetti and Bruce Reed, senior advisors to the president who connected the White House and the campaign, will now focus on helping the president finish his term. Anita Dunn, who hired most of the top staff and shaped the campaign while staying at the White House, didn’t answer when CNN asked if she would still help Harris.
Harris’ brother-in-law, Tony West, who used to work for the Justice Department and has been advising her, is expected to play a role in her campaign. Her sister Maya, who she is close to, is expected to have a minor role in the campaign.
For Harris, chaos at campaign headquarters is nothing new. Harris’ past problems with her staff are well-known in Washington. When she became vice president, even though she had been in three different offices for nearly 20 years, she only had a few aides who had worked with her before.
Sometimes, she would humiliate her aides to cover up for feeling unprepared for a meeting. Other times, she did it just for fun, according to some aides who spoke to CNN.
Her office as vice president became known for distrust and infighting. Aides often felt so upset that they would go to bars near the White House with tears in their eyes, counting the days until they could find new jobs.
With just over 100 days left to win the election or see Trump return to the White House, Kamala Harris’s friends and helpers are worried about returning to tough times. They fear that making big changes, like moving people to Wilmington, could mess up their progress.
Some of those who were part of Harris’s last campaign say there’s another reason to avoid significant changes. In 2019, running out of money led to layoffs, and those who were let go were quick to share horror stories about working with Harris.
Meanwhile, the staff who stayed became divided and leaked information about each other. One person joked that even the security guard at the front desk was calling reporters with gossip.
Before Harris can think about running a nation, she must focus on running her team. And since tigers can’t change their stripes, she is unlikely to change her approach. It’s a trainwreck in slow motion, and Americans never wanted to buy a ticket for the ride in the first place.
