Andrew Yang’s campaign fired dozens of staffers this week after an abysmal finish in the Iowa caucuses, according to four former staffers who were let go.
Among those dismissed were the national political and policy directors of the campaign, as well as the deputy national political director — all senior-level positions. The people who were fired worked across Yang’s organization, from his headquarters in New York to the now-disbanded Iowa operation.
Yang finished sixth in Iowa, receiving just 1 percent of delegates, according to the most recent count.
A Yang campaign official insisted there were previous plans to reduce the size of his organization after Iowa. The official wouldn’t specify the number of people who were laid off, but the fired staffers said it was in the dozens. According to fundraising reports released last week, the Yang campaign had more than 230 people on staff.
“As part of our original plans following the Iowa caucuses, we are winding down our Iowa operations and restructuring to compete as the New Hampshire primary approaches,” campaign manager Zach Graumann said in a statement to POLITICO. “These actions are a natural evolution of the campaign post-Iowa, same as other campaigns have undertaken, and Andrew Yang is going to keep fighting for the voices of the more than 400,000 supporters who have donated to the campaign and placed a stake in the future of our country.”
Former campaign employees who were granted anonymity to speak candidly said many people expected staffing changes after New Hampshire, not Iowa. They were disturbed by how some people learned they were let go, such as when their email and Slack accounts were cut off.
“Some people found out through gossip or back channels, and things weren’t timed particularly well,” one of the former staffers said. “Some people were shut out of their email, before getting an official phone call [from the campaign] or anything like that. So definitely not the most organized.”
Staffers were given at least one month severance, according to the dismissed workers.
Every former staffer who spoke to POLITICO said they still believe in Yang and his mission. Some wanted to remain anonymous because they hope to work with him again in the future and didn’t want to jeopardize the relationship or his candidacy.
“I really don't want to paint this situation over him or the campaign in any negative way. I, wholistically had a fantastic experience,” one ex-staffer said. “Andrew, taking it this far and continuing as far as he can, is incredibly inspiring to me."
thehill.com
