What happened? President Joe Biden, who is expected to formally launch his reelection campaign later this week, announced Monday that Julie Chavez Rodriguez would serve as his 2024 campaign manager.
Who is Julie Chavez Rodriguez? She's a nepo baby with a dubious employment history.
What's a nepo baby? A person who succeeded thanks to a famous or powerful relative. Rodriguez is the granddaughter of the prominent labor activist Cesar Chavez, and began her career as a program director at the Cesar Chavez Foundation.
Does she have any campaign experience? Sort of. Rodriguez worked as a volunteer on Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 and served in various roles at the White House until December 2016, when she was appointed state director for Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.).
When Harris announced her ill-fated run for president the following year, Rodriguez joined the campaign as national political director and later served as traveling chief of staff until Harris's candidacy flamed out in 2019.
Rodriguez subsequently joined the Biden campaign and was appointed director of intergovernmental affairs at the White House, where according to Reuters she has been a "major ally" of Harris's within the administration.
Some context: Harris has very few allies in the Democratic Party. Even her (many) ex-staffers are terrified at the thought of Harris becoming president.
Why it matters: Harris's 2020 campaign was one of the most disastrous political endeavors in recent memory. CNN described the campaign as plagued by "combative infighting" among "demoralized" staff members—a "hotbed of drama and backbiting" surrounding a candidate who lacked "clear messaging."
Everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves—especially Ian Sams, the upward-failing Harris campaign press secretary who accused BuzzFeed of promoting white supremacy.
Bottom line: Biden is 80 ½ years old. His reelection campaign will be run by a nepo baby who remains loyal to a very unpopular vice president and whose most relevant work experience involves one of the most poorly managed political campaigns in modern history. Good luck!