The person who managed Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential run is apologizing for the campaign, which he now sees as "too male" and "too white."
The New York Times reports accusations of sexism within Sanders organization are hanging over the Vermont socialist's prospects of running for the White House again.
The chief problem, according to Sanders's former campaign manager Jeff Weaver, was there were too many white men working on the campaign.
Weaver "expressed regret for some of the operation's shortcomings," according to the Times.
"Was it too male? Yes. Was it too white? Yes," said Weaver, who is still a top adviser to Sanders.
Whiteness and maleness would be a "priority to remedy" on any potential 2020 Sanders run, said Weaver.
"We share deeply in the urgency for all of us to make change," he said.
"In 2016, as the size of our campaign exploded, we made efforts to make it a positive experience for people," Weaver added. "That there was a failure pains me very much."
The Times reported on accusations from former Sanders female campaign staffers, who said they experienced sexual harassment, "demeaning treatment," and were paid less than men, a frequent occurrence when working for Democrats.
Sanders himself was the worst gender pay gap offender in the Senate, and at one time females in his office earned $21,730 less than men.
The Times reported Sanders's "perceived failure to address" the treatment of female employees on his campaign "has damaged his progressive bona fides."
The female employees also said they were "asked to sleep in rooms along with male co-workers they didn't know," and faced an "entire wave of rotten sexual harassment," and were treated like "personal assistants."