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Acronym Seeking New Chief of Staff After Iowa Caucus Debacle

The dark money group that derailed the Democratic Iowa caucus is now hiring

February 5, 2020

Looking for a management position at a progressive nonprofit that's earning a lot of buzz? Acronym is hiring.

According to a job listing posted Wednesday, the dark money group that singlehandedly derailed the Democratic Iowa caucuses is looking for a new chief of staff. The ideal candidate would have "experience implementing and maintaining accountability measures" and would "hold managers at all levels accountable for program deliverables and status updates."

The listing comes days after Acronym project Shadow Inc. came under fire for creating the mobile app that was supposed to tally the vote and delegate counts in Iowa's 1,681 precincts. Glitches left the app entirely nonfunctional. The final results of the caucuses remain unknown two days later.

Shadow is also hiring a "Client Success Representative," according to a listing on its website. The new employee would be required to "represent the voice of the customer to ensure we’re building the best possible tools for our users" and "understand how technology can strengthen campaigns and help organizers be more successful."

The Tom Steyer and Nancy Pelosi-funded Acronym, which once proudly claimed ownership of Shadow, has now taken steps to hide its affiliation with the toxic brand. The Daily Beast reports that Acronym scrubbed its website of all references to having "launched" Shadow and now claims it only "invested in" the tech firm.

Whoever Shadow and Acronym hires will have their work cut out for them. The Nevada Democratic Party has cut ties with the firm, announcing that "what happened in the Iowa caucus last night will not happen in Nevada on February 22nd. We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus."

With its ties to the Democratic establishment, Acronym has come under fire, in particular from Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I., Vt.) supporters and surrogates, who charge that the party's leadership is comprised of "Hillary operatives" who "generally loathed Bernie." The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Acronym CEO Tara McGowan is married to "a senior strategist for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign." Tweets from McGowan indicate a general antipathy toward the Vermont senator, as well as support for the former South Bend mayor.