The campaign doesn't expect to survive New Hampshire, sources say
The Yang campaign was uniquely disadvantaged by the caucus model used in Iowa, in which candidates must receive 15% in a precinct to be viable, and caucusgoers whose candidates are not viable after the first caucus alignment can change their support to another candidate.
Yang's poor performance was nevertheless a humbling reality check for a historic presidential campaign that inspired a fiercely loyal army of grassroots supporters with his flagship universal basic income policy proposal, and an unconventional platform of transcending partisan divides to re-think the nature of American capitalism itself.
After its abysmal showing in Iowa, the Yang campaign sent out a fundraising email implying that Yang would have no choice but to drop out if he doesn't place in the top four candidates in this week's primary.
"If we miss this fundraising goal and our target finish in New Hampshire, I don't believe we can continue contending at the same level."
In a recording of a campaign-wide staff call on Friday obtained by Insider and originally reported by Rolling Stone, a defeated-sounding Yang acknowledged the toll of the layoffs, and the uphill battle the campaign is facing ahead of New Hampshire.
"I know now is a trying time for the campaign and for you individually seeing the people you've worked with over the last number of months stepping away from the campaigns," he said.
"The caucus format was singularly opposed to the dynamic that our campaign tends to attract," Yang said of Iowa, adding, "New Hampshire is, in some ways, the most Yang Gang environment you could imagine."
But on the day of the New Hampshire primary, Yang is in sixth place polling at 3.7% in Real Clear Politics' average of Democratic primary polls, with a low chance of receiving any pledged delegates.
Two Yang campaign staffers told Insider that they see virtually no chance of Yang placing in the top four candidates in New Hampshire, with one describing the recent layoffs and the fundraising email as national leadership "bracing staff for an eventual reason to drop out."
"The support is not there, the staff is not there, and morale is extremely low," the source told Insider.
Another staffer described "total fear and chaos" inside the campaign after the layoffs, saying that instead of leaving staff wondering how much longer they'll have a job, the candidate "should have dropped out after Iowa."
'This is the most poorly organized campaign I've ever worked on'
Staffers said that even before the round of layoffs, they noticed delays on time-sensitive get-out-the-vote operations, lack of coordination between the national and state-level campaign offices, and substandard working conditions for organizers in some field offices that they chalked up to a mix of incompetence and disregard for staff.
"The communication between offices wasn't fast enough and we weren't given a ton of autonomy over our state," one former staffer, who said their experience on the campaign was mostly positive, told Insider. "Headquarters wanted to control everything, and there was a lot of mistrust even in the people who they hired. It made me think, why did you hire me if you don't trust me?"
The person also said that the campaign put "all their eggs in one basket" in the hopes of a last-minute surge to secure a win in Iowa, leaving operations in later primary states to be "an afterthought" and not communicating sufficiently about the next steps in those states.
Another Yang field organizer echoed those concerns, telling Insider they were dismayed both by the relatively poor working conditions for organizers, and the national campaign not being adequately attentive to the needs of state-level organizers and field staff, like responding to requests for more supplies or materials.
"The campaign has historic possibility within our state but the national office hasn't been at all responsive to us," one state-level organizer said.
One veteran campaign staffer and organizer recounted a lack of internal collaboration on the campaign between state-level officials, "radio silence" from national headquarters ahead of key election deadlines, and in some cases, senior officials barring state-level staff from being able to do their jobs.
Humanity first'
A staffer attributed what they saw as a disorganized national strategy and poor treatment of staff to the fact many of the senior-level campaign officials had never worked on campaigns or even in politics before, and "don't understand the progressive work culture" Democratic campaigns usually strive to meet.
"There were inexperienced people in high-level positions that were not right for them," another former Yang staffer said. "From day one, Yang should have hired campaign veterans to avoid this domino effect of ineffectiveness."
In an email to Insider, Lee hinted at the challenge that comes with running a long-shot presidential campaign for a non-politician from scratch, saying that Yang's team started with a small team of a few people and grew into a "top contender, alongside senators, governors, and other longtime politicians with established networks."
Lee maintained that the campaign was as "transparent and forthcoming as possible" with staff.
Three staffers also said Yang campaign organizers received the lowest pay of any presidential campaign and had the least comprehensive benefits, with organizers in some offices required to work seven days a week, ten hours a day for relatively low wages.
"The way they treated their organizers does not reflect 'humanity first'," the person added, referencing Yang's signature campaign slogan. (Lee told Insider they could not speak to how Yang staffers were paid compared to those of other campaigns).
Some staffers said they were particularly angry and heartbroken over what they saw as a massive disconnect between the campaign's message of empowering forgotten working people compared to how they treated those workers in practice.
"Our grassroots are living by the 'humanity first' mindset, they see the candidate as a change-maker in political discourse who activated previously disillusioned folks to believe in something, and then the campaign turns around and treats their staff like this," one staffer said. "It's heartbreaking."
"Don't pretend to be the 21st century's economic hero saying you're the candidate of working people, then screw the people who are helping you do that," the person added. "The campaign is built on the backs of people who are doing that work."
The Yang campaign was uniquely disadvantaged by the caucus model used in Iowa, in which candidates must receive 15% in a precinct to be viable, and caucusgoers whose candidates are not viable after the first caucus alignment can change their support to another candidate.
Yang's poor performance was nevertheless a humbling reality check for a historic presidential campaign that inspired a fiercely loyal army of grassroots supporters with his flagship universal basic income policy proposal, and an unconventional platform of transcending partisan divides to re-think the nature of American capitalism itself.
After its abysmal showing in Iowa, the Yang campaign sent out a fundraising email implying that Yang would have no choice but to drop out if he doesn't place in the top four candidates in this week's primary.
"If we miss this fundraising goal and our target finish in New Hampshire, I don't believe we can continue contending at the same level."
In a recording of a campaign-wide staff call on Friday obtained by Insider and originally reported by Rolling Stone, a defeated-sounding Yang acknowledged the toll of the layoffs, and the uphill battle the campaign is facing ahead of New Hampshire.
"I know now is a trying time for the campaign and for you individually seeing the people you've worked with over the last number of months stepping away from the campaigns," he said.
"The caucus format was singularly opposed to the dynamic that our campaign tends to attract," Yang said of Iowa, adding, "New Hampshire is, in some ways, the most Yang Gang environment you could imagine."
But on the day of the New Hampshire primary, Yang is in sixth place polling at 3.7% in Real Clear Politics' average of Democratic primary polls, with a low chance of receiving any pledged delegates.
Two Yang campaign staffers told Insider that they see virtually no chance of Yang placing in the top four candidates in New Hampshire, with one describing the recent layoffs and the fundraising email as national leadership "bracing staff for an eventual reason to drop out."
"The support is not there, the staff is not there, and morale is extremely low," the source told Insider.
Another staffer described "total fear and chaos" inside the campaign after the layoffs, saying that instead of leaving staff wondering how much longer they'll have a job, the candidate "should have dropped out after Iowa."
'This is the most poorly organized campaign I've ever worked on'
Staffers said that even before the round of layoffs, they noticed delays on time-sensitive get-out-the-vote operations, lack of coordination between the national and state-level campaign offices, and substandard working conditions for organizers in some field offices that they chalked up to a mix of incompetence and disregard for staff.
"The communication between offices wasn't fast enough and we weren't given a ton of autonomy over our state," one former staffer, who said their experience on the campaign was mostly positive, told Insider. "Headquarters wanted to control everything, and there was a lot of mistrust even in the people who they hired. It made me think, why did you hire me if you don't trust me?"
The person also said that the campaign put "all their eggs in one basket" in the hopes of a last-minute surge to secure a win in Iowa, leaving operations in later primary states to be "an afterthought" and not communicating sufficiently about the next steps in those states.
Another Yang field organizer echoed those concerns, telling Insider they were dismayed both by the relatively poor working conditions for organizers, and the national campaign not being adequately attentive to the needs of state-level organizers and field staff, like responding to requests for more supplies or materials.
"The campaign has historic possibility within our state but the national office hasn't been at all responsive to us," one state-level organizer said.
One veteran campaign staffer and organizer recounted a lack of internal collaboration on the campaign between state-level officials, "radio silence" from national headquarters ahead of key election deadlines, and in some cases, senior officials barring state-level staff from being able to do their jobs.
Humanity first'
A staffer attributed what they saw as a disorganized national strategy and poor treatment of staff to the fact many of the senior-level campaign officials had never worked on campaigns or even in politics before, and "don't understand the progressive work culture" Democratic campaigns usually strive to meet.
"There were inexperienced people in high-level positions that were not right for them," another former Yang staffer said. "From day one, Yang should have hired campaign veterans to avoid this domino effect of ineffectiveness."
In an email to Insider, Lee hinted at the challenge that comes with running a long-shot presidential campaign for a non-politician from scratch, saying that Yang's team started with a small team of a few people and grew into a "top contender, alongside senators, governors, and other longtime politicians with established networks."
Lee maintained that the campaign was as "transparent and forthcoming as possible" with staff.
Three staffers also said Yang campaign organizers received the lowest pay of any presidential campaign and had the least comprehensive benefits, with organizers in some offices required to work seven days a week, ten hours a day for relatively low wages.
"The way they treated their organizers does not reflect 'humanity first'," the person added, referencing Yang's signature campaign slogan. (Lee told Insider they could not speak to how Yang staffers were paid compared to those of other campaigns).
Some staffers said they were particularly angry and heartbroken over what they saw as a massive disconnect between the campaign's message of empowering forgotten working people compared to how they treated those workers in practice.
"Our grassroots are living by the 'humanity first' mindset, they see the candidate as a change-maker in political discourse who activated previously disillusioned folks to believe in something, and then the campaign turns around and treats their staff like this," one staffer said. "It's heartbreaking."
"Don't pretend to be the 21st century's economic hero saying you're the candidate of working people, then screw the people who are helping you do that," the person added. "The campaign is built on the backs of people who are doing that work."
Yang
