Staff Reports
Kamala Harris appears to be redefining what it means to be the Vice President with her unprecedented turnover rate among staff, which raises eyebrows and questions about her leadership skills just as she barrels toward the Democratic presidential nomination. While other political figures experience the typical staffing shake-ups, Harris has managed to create a veritable revolving door at her office, where it seems more aides escape than remain.
According to a report from the watchdog group Open the Books, Kamala Harris boasts a staggering 92% turnover since she took over the Vice Presidency in January 2021. To put that in perspective, this means that she has held onto barely four employees out of a whopping 49 hired during this short tenure. Such frenzied departures are causing many to wonder what exactly is happening behind the closed doors of her office. Reports suggest that former staffers found the work environment so intimidating that seeking employment elsewhere was a more attractive option than continuing under Harris’s management.
Allegations of a toxic work atmosphere are not new for Kamala Harris. Vicious accounts from past aides describe a rather alarming workplace where profanities are a staple of her management style, and eye contact is apparently reserved exclusively for the “chosen” few—certainly not interns. Could those management tactics be the reason behind her sinking approval ratings? As her staff’s morale plummets, it seems the Vice President has taken a page straight out of the book of tyrants, instilling fear rather than teamwork.
🇺🇸 Harris' Leadership Drives Staffers From Vice Presidential Office
▫Kamala Harris’ employees flee in droves, ex-staff cite toxic workplace
▫@susanferrechio
▫https://t.co/3mzFOziJHQ 👈#frontpagestoday #USA @WashTimes 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/LS8vtk5Y7q— 𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝙿𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢 📰 (@ukpapers) July 30, 2024
Comparison is often a revealing exercise, and when looking at turnover rates among past administrations, Harris takes the cake—or perhaps the “D” in dysfunction. President Trump had a 72% turnover rate, President Biden managed 77%, and Vice President Pence clocked in at 83%. But the impressive (or perhaps embarrassing) feat achieved by Harris makes her a standout in her performance—or lack thereof. With such sky-high departure rates, one has to question what kind of leadership she will showcase as she supposedly positions herself for a Presidential bid.
The lack of transparency regarding her office’s operations is another hit against Harris. Open the Books has indicated that her team isn’t keen on revealing the full roster of employees or their salaries and is even resistant to public information requests. It raises pertinent questions about accountability. If a Vice President can hide the basic facts of her office operations from taxpayers, how can anyone trust her with the presidency?
As Kamala Harris continues on her path towards obtaining the Democratic nomination, one must wonder whether she will survive the scrutiny or whether her record of staff turnover and management maladies will catch up with her. The chances are good that behind the scenes, the only thing stacking up higher than her aspirations might be the growing list of former aides who would prefer to remain silent rather than write a tell-all—or maybe they just don’t have the guts to step back into the lion’s den.
