Black Harris Staffers Say They Were Mistreated on the Campaign

A new article from The New York Times reveals serious issues and claims of unfair treatment based on race within Kamala Harris presidential campaign.

The article, titled “How Alarmed Harris Staffers Went Rogue to Reach Black and Latino Voters,” describes how some campaign workers, feeling ignored, took their own steps to connect with voters of color in Philadelphia.

The report says many workers believed that the campaign didn’t pay enough attention to diverse neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Black campaign staff and political experts felt their warnings about Democrats taking their voters for granted were not taken seriously.

The frustration grew after Harris lost the election. Over 30 staff members discussed their concerns about the campaign’s management and lack of resources in key areas on a call with Angela Rye, a political strategist.

This call was supposed to be about job opportunities but quickly turned into a session to share their disappointments, according to a recording The Times got.

Staff members also complained about not hiring enough people of color and not working with consulting firms owned by Black or Latino individuals.

Additionally, many campaign offices in Philadelphia were in poor condition and not well-equipped, and some were located far from the communities they were meant to serve.

The campaign did a survey and found that Black staff members were unhappy with how the campaign leaders were handling things and felt their ideas were often overlooked. Some even mentioned experiencing direct racial discrimination. Despite knowing these survey results, the campaign leaders did not take steps to address these issues.

To prevent leaks to the media, Quentin Fulks, the deputy campaign manager, reportedly warned staff that talking to the media could harm their future careers. However, Harris’s campaign spokeswoman, Lauren Hitt, denied that Fulks spoke to the staff in such a way.

As the campaign ended, it became clear that there was a disconnect between the campaign’s internal assessments and the actual election results. Jen O’Malley Dillon, the campaign chair, claimed in an email to all staff that they had done better than expected in Philadelphia, especially with nonwhite voters.

However, Donald Trump had actually gained more support from Black and Latino voters in Pennsylvania, which helped him win the presidency.

Despite these problems, some people in the campaign still believe they did a lot to reach Black and Latino voters. Kellan White, a senior adviser in Pennsylvania, said the problem wasn’t their effort but that the campaign’s message didn’t connect with enough voters.

He suggested that the Democratic Party needs to understand better why their messages didn’t work.