For the left side of the campaign industry to be best positioned to help Kamala Harris win in November, one top Democratic practitioner says firms and agencies should take a fresh look at the diversity of their staff.
The switch from a Biden-Harris ticket to Harris-Walz means some of the targeting priorities may shift for Democratic campaigns and allied groups. For example, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters are going to be a higher priority because of Harris’ background, and the expectation that Republicans will also work to court these communities with new surrogates (the wife of VP nominee J.D. Vance, for example, is the daughter of Indian Americans.)
Diversity in the ranks of consulting firms and on campaign staff — including in leadership — has been a persistent concern among some Democratic practitioners for several cycles now. Their main gripe: A party looking to turnout a diverse coalition of voters need consultants and staff who reflect those communities.
Doug Thornell, CEO of Democratic shop SKDK, has been one of those consultants who in turn has practiced what he preaches. To wit, the mega firm’s latest executive hire was CFO Dylan St. Agathe, and in April it promoted Jasmine Hooks to the role of COO. Moreover, it recently formed a strategic partnership with Conexión, a Latino-owned and led shop.
“We have three people of color in the senior C-suite positions within the company: myself, our COO, and our now CFO,” said Thornell. “I’m proud of that. We went after the best and they’re going to make the team even better.”
Still, diversification of staffing efforts can’t just concentrate on outside hiring, Thornell said. “You’ve got to concentrate your efforts on retention as well — creating a culture where people can feel like they can grow … they can ascend and making sure that they have the tools to do that, and the professional development to do that.”
He added: “The talent’s there, it’s a question of how aggressive and eager agencies are to go out and pursue it, and recruit it and grow it.”
So is the Democratic side of the industry prepared with enough diverse talent to succeed in 2024?
“I think that still remains to be seen,” Thornell said. “I think there’s still a lot of work within the political consulting and the PR world that needs to be done to make sure that at both the junior and senior levels there are teams that reflect the diversity of this country.”
For Thornell, diversity in consulting isn’t just reflected in a practitioner’s race, but also their sexual orientation, gender, faith, or where they’re from geographically. “I think it makes us better strategists,” he said, pointing to the firm’s work on the Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s (D) successful reelect two years ago and Sen. Mark Kelly’s Arizona win that same cycle, among other examples.
“To be able to give our best advice and create the best ads, you really need a team that can bring that type of expertise and lived experience to our clients,” he said.
