The departures came primarily over a fight about Marianne Williamson’s ballot access operations, or lack thereof.
Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

The staffers said they were concerned that too much attention was being placed on social media and not enough on getting Williamson’s name on the ballot beyond New Hampshire and South Carolina. Each state has their own laws and requirements, and typically expert consultants are hired to handle the specifics to get a candidate on the ballot.

“During that meeting, there was just a vibe that she felt attacked, and an insinuation at the end of that call that some staff were not going to make it to the end of the week,” said one person with knowledge of the campaign’s deliberations.

After the staff meeting, Williamson told staffers that she felt “ambushed” by her own team, two of the four people (including another current staffer) told POLITICO, adding that she hasn’t acted on their concerns about ballot access.

“She didn’t listen to anything that was said,” one of those people said. “Clearly, because the people who expressed frustration were fired.”

Williamson’s campaign faces a number of hurdles beyond ballot access. The Democratic National Committee has decided not to host debates with President Joe Biden’s primary challengers. In addition, there has been consistent staff turnover, including several campaign managers, coupled with money worries as the campaign lags behind her fellow Democratic primary opponents. Two of the four people told POLITICO that Williamson is likely to report less than $1 million in donations on her next quarterly financial report.

Cardona did not respond to a request for comment, and the campaign declined to speak on the record to questions about the most recent departures and the staff meeting on ballot access. A spokesperson, on condition of anonymity, questioned the relevance of them.

“You would think the journalistic focus of the Marianne Williamson campaign would be about her gains in polling, landing key political endorsements and attracting new supporters, but no, we’re once again responding to internal staffing decisions being made to strengthen our position in this presidential primary race,” the spokesperson said. “Every campaign or company will adjust on strategy, and face tough staffing decisions to become more efficient with resources.”

Williamson registered significant early support, polling at about 10 percent in surveys. But there haven’t been many gains since her launch. The team is now operating with a skeletal staff of about 12 people as Williamson increases her campaign events.

Despite the firings, there has been at least one new hire: an events coordinator, who formerly worked on marketing for Williamson’s business office, according to two of the four people. Williamson, incidentally, has a new book coming out at the end of the summer.

“If you’re just thinking about New Hampshire and South Carolina, then this is a grift,” one of the people said.