Bernie Sanders presidential campaign staff, 2020

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Last updated January 17, 2020.

This page contains a select list of Bernie Sanders' national campaign staff and primary state directors. Staff are presented alongside their positions in the campaign, their most recent positions prior to the campaign, and their Twitter handles.

Click on the links below to navigate:

Campaign staff in context
Overview of Sanders' campaign
National and state staff
Sanders in the news

Know of any staff we missed? Please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Visit Presidential election key staffers, 2020, to see our coverage of staff on other campaigns.

Here are links to the candidates' staff pages:

Donald Trump (R)
Joe Biden (D)
Jo Jorgensen (L)
Howie Hawkins (G)

Campaign staff in context[edit]

Campaign staff plays an important role in the presidential primaries. The makeup of a candidate's staff can signal the strength of their support from influential party activists and whether they are aligning with a particular faction or group within the party. Eric Appleman of Democracy in Action describes candidates' efforts to hire staffers as a "race for talent, both nationally and in key early states." He adds, "The goal is to assemble a team of top talent that can work together effectively to mobilize resources, boost the candidate and his or her message, and ultimately secure the party's nomination."^[1]

Presidential candidates will typically have a national staff, which is overseen by a campaign manager and assisted by political consultants, senior advisors, professional polling firms, and key stakeholders such as interest group leaders and major financial supporters. They also build organizations in individual states that are overseen by state directors and staffed by party activists and political professionals well-versed in the particular politics of the area. Candidates often appoint elected officials and other important figures in their party's coalition as chairs of their national campaign and state-level campaigns.^[1]

Bernie Sanders campaign overview[edit]

See also: Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, 2020

Bernie Sanders is an independent member of the U.S. Senate from Vermont who caucuses with the Democratic Party. He formally declared his candidacy for president on February 19, 2019. He suspended his presidential campaign on April 8, 2020.^[2]

He won the popular vote in Iowa and the most delegates in New Hampshire and Nevada.

Sanders focused his campaign on economic issues, including Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, a $15 minimum wage, expanding the estate tax, limiting the size of banks, and tuition-free college.^[3]

Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Sanders was the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, from 1981 to 1989 and a member of the U.S. House from 1991 to 2007.

National staff[edit]

The table below shows a sampling of the candidate's 2020 national campaign staff members, including the campaign manager and some senior advisors, political directors, communication directors, and field directors. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available.^[4] For a larger list of national campaign staff, visit Democracy in Action.

Bernie Sanders presidential campaign national staff, 2020
Staff	Position	Prior experience	Twitter handle
Faiz Shakir	Campaign manager	National political director, American Civil Liberties Union	@fshakir
Jeff Weaver	Senior advisor	Campaign manager, Bernie Sanders for President of the United States, 2016	N/A
Chuck Rocha	Senior advisor	Advisor, Bernie Sanders for President of the United States, 2016	@ChuckRocha
Analilia Mejia	Political director	Director, New Jersey Working Families Alliance	N/A
Claire Sandberg	Organizing director	Deputy campaign manager, Abdul El-Sayed for Governor of Michigan, 2018	@clairesandberg
Becca Rast	National field director	Campaign manager, Jess King for Congress, 2018	@beccarast
René Spellman	Deputy campaign manager	Executive, CAA Foundation	N/A
Arianna Jones	Deputy campaign manager and communications director	Senior vice president of PR, Revolution Messaging	@ariannaijones
Ari Rabin-Havt	Deputy campaign manager and chief of staff	Deputy chief of staff, office of Sen. Bernie Sanders	@AriRabinHavt
Briahna Joy Gray	National press secretary	Columnist and political editor, The Intercept, Contributing editor, Current Affairs	@briebriejoy

State staff[edit]

The table below shows the candidate's 2020 early primary state directors and state communications directors. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available.^[4] For a larger list of state campaign staff, visit Democracy in Action.

Bernie Sanders presidential campaign state staff, 2020
Staff	State	Position	Prior experience	Twitter handle
Misty Rebik	Iowa	State director	Event and stewardship coordinator, One Iowa	@mistyrebik
Roger Ouellette	Iowa	Communications director	Communications director, Tell That Story Creative Campaigns	@rouell3
Shannon Jackson	New Hampshire	State director	Campaign manager, Bernie Sanders for United States Senate, 2018	@shannondjackson
Carli Stevenson	New Hampshire	Deputy state director and Communications director	Campaigner, Demand Progress and Demand Progress Education Fund	N/A
Sarah Michelsen	Nevada	State director	Executive director, Arizona Wins	@GenderJill
Bianca Recto	Nevada	Communications director	Press secretary, U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto	@BiancaRecto
Kwadjo Campbell	South Carolina	State director	President, JC & Associates	@kwadjoc
Michael Wukela	South Carolina	Communications director	Executive director, Progress South	@MWukela
Rafael Návar	California	State director	National political director, Communication Workers of America, AFL-CIO	@Rafael_Navar
Shelli Jackson	California	State coordinator	Member consultant, Speakers Office of Member Services	@shellijackson2
Pilar Chapa	Colorado	State director	Executive director, Colorado Democratic Party	N/A

Sanders in the news[edit]

See also: Ballotpedia's Daily Presidential News Briefing and Editorial approach to story selection for the Daily Presidential News Briefing

This section featured five news stories about Sanders and his presidential campaign. For a complete timeline of Sanders' campaign activity, click here.

April 8, 2020: Sanders suspended his presidential campaign. He said in a video statement to supporters, “I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth. We are now some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden and the path toward victory is virtually impossible.” Sanders said he would remain on upcoming primary ballots to win more delegates to influence the party platform at the Democratic National Convention.

April 7, 2020: Sanders held a livestream discussion on the disproportionate effect the coronavirus pandemic is having on black Americans.

April 6, 2020: Sanders criticized the Wisconsin Supreme Court for blocking Gov. Tony Evers’ order to postpone in-person voting in the state until June 9. He said his campaign would not conduct traditional GOTV activities in Wisconsin due to public health concerns. “Let’s be clear: holding this election amid the coronavirus outbreak is dangerous, disregards the guidance of public health experts, and may very well prove deadly,” he said in a statement.

April 4, 2020: The Washington Post reported that Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir and other senior advisers had encouraged Sanders to withdraw from the presidential race.

April 3, 2020: Sanders released his "Priorities for the Next Coronavirus Relief Package,” which included monthly direct payments of $2,000 to every person in the United States regardless of immigration status. He also called for guaranteed paid medical and sick leave for all workers and hazard pay for essential and frontline workers. He also said the Defense Production Act should be used for the production of personal protective equipment. Sanders called for canceling all student loan payments and suspending monthly payments like rent, mortgages, medical debt, and consumer debt collection.

Footnotes[edit]

[DIA-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Democracy in Action, "Building Campaign Organizations (2019)," accessed May 10, 2019

[BernieSuspend-2] Politico, "Bernie Sanders suspends his presidential campaign," April 8, 2020

[3] CNBC, "Bernie Sanders is running for president — and his policies would have a huge impact on business," February 19, 2019

[p2020-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Democracy in Action, "Organization," accessed November 4, 2019

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