House Democrats are calling for a diversity-driven shakeup in the party's campaign arm


The head of the Democratic party's main campaign wing is facing internal backlash, Politico reports.
The turmoil was first reported by Politico last week, but Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) is reportedly making a sudden return to Washington on Monday to address her critics, who are are calling for "immediate restructuring" and systematic changes to the committee over what they say is a lack of diversity, especially among leadership positions.
In what Politico describes as the most dramatic move so far, Texas Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Filemon Vela called for Bustos to fire her top aide, DCCC Executive Director Allison Jaslow and replace her with "a qualified person of color, of which there are many," at once. In their statement, Vela and Gonzalez also criticized the Congressional Hispanic Congress for its lack of action regarding the situation, describing its silence as "deafening."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bustos has reportedly agreed to participate in diversity and inclusion training for DCCC employees and "plans to approve changes" to the committee's structure. However, there is so far no indication that she is planning to fire Jaslow, who reportedly tearfully assumed blame for the lack of diversity in the DCCC during an emergency all-staff meeting after Politico's story broke on Friday. Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play