In the aftermath of the second fundraising quarter’s end and a lackluster debate performance, many of former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s top staffers are departing — a sign that “you don’t always get it right with the first team,” according to the ex-governor.
According to ABC News, Hickenlooper is losing his campaign manager, his national finance director, his communications director, his digital director and his New Hampshire political director. His ex-national finance director, Dan Sorenson, is joining former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-TX) campaign.
Hickenlooper addressed the mass exodus on MSNBC on Tuesday, saying that the departures are a “combination” of the staffers quitting and being let go, and that it was the “right time for change.”
The former governor admitted, though, that he’s not always an effective “spokesperson” for his own ideas.
“Like as a debater, I’m not a — I’m not a former prosecutor,” he said. “I don’t go after the other candidates. When I ran for mayor, I’ve never done an attack ad, I’ve never attacked the other candidate.”
“I’ve got to get better at painting that bigger picture so people do hear it and see it and understand the clarity,” he added.
Hickenlooper candidly speaks about the difficulty he’s experiencing getting his message out pic.twitter.com/pAlWik6XAZ
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 2, 2019
According to a tally by the Washington Post, Hickenlooper had a hard time breaking into the debate last week, finishing as one of the quietest candidates with only 5.2 total minutes of speaking time.
