DNC Losing Critical Leadership During Final Election Run

While U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) was the face of the Democratic Party, the day-to-day operation of the political party was in the hands of several reportedly very capable men and women—all of whom are now without jobs.

Politico first reported the news late Monday afternoon, and it soon became the lead story for many news outlets around the country: Democratic National Committee CEO Amy Dacey had resigned. Dacey, a career party operative who, according to her biography, worked on her first campaign when she was just 8 years old, had come to the DNC after serving as executive director at Emily’s List, where she oversaw a 14-fold membership expansion.

Dacey was the first member of the DNC senior staff to leave in the wake of the WikiLeaks email scandal. She was very quickly followed by CFO Brad Marshall and Communications Director Luis Miranda.

Interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile issued a statement regarding the resignations:

“Thanks in part to the hard work of Amy, Luis, and Brad, the Democratic Party has adopted the most progressive platform in history, has put itself in financial position to win in November, and has begun the important work of investing in state party partnerships. I’m so grateful for their commitment to this cause, and I wish them continued success in the next chapter of their career.”

It is unclear how this loss of key leadership less than 100 days before the general election will impact the party’s efforts across the country. Democrats are the minority party in most of the legislative chambers across the U.S., and hold less than half of the governorships.

Brazile said former DNC executive director Tom McMahon would lead a transition team to find replacements for Dacey, Marshall, and Miranda.