Kamala Harris campaign, 'hemorrhaging cash,' lays off dozens of aides
The 2020 presidential campaign of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), which is "hemorrhaging cash," is undergoing significant restructuring and laying off "dozens of aides," Politico reports.
Harris' campaign manager Juan Rodriguez in a memo Wednesday described facing "an incredibly competitive resources environment" and needing to "reduce campaign expenditures," reports Vice's Elizabeth Landers. Rodriguez, who said he would be reducing his own salary as well, announced that "many" field staff from New Hampshire, Nevada, and California will be redeployed to Iowa and that "we will reduce the size of our headquarters staff."
"These decisions are difficult but will ensure the campaign is positioned to execute a robust Iowa ground game," Rodriguez wrote. The Harris campaign raised $11.8 million in the third quarter of 2019 but spent $14.6 million, per Politico.
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.
Harris was polling near the front of the pack of 2020 Democratic candidates over the summer, especially after a widely-praised debate performance in which she took on former Vice President Joe Biden and his record on busing. A Quinnipiac University national survey from early July, after this debate, showed Harris earning 20 percent support, just 2 percentage points behind Biden. But her polling numbers have plunged since then, with a USA Today/Suffolk University national poll released Wednesday showing her at 3 percent support, the same amount as entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Axios' Jonathan Swan tweeted in response to the poll, "I still don't really understand what happened to Kamala Harris' candidacy." Harris has yet to qualify for the December presidential debate.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
- 
Political cartoons for November 1Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include insurance premiums, early voting in NYC, and more
 - 
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
 - 
Meet Ireland’s new socialist presidentIn the Spotlight Landslide victory of former barrister and ‘outsider’ Catherine Connolly could ‘mark a turning point’ in anti-establishment politics
 
- 
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
 - 
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
 - 
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
 - 
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
 - 
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
 - 
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
 - 
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
 - 
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
 
