Staffers fear a Kamala stigma

Staffers in Vice President Kamala Harris’ office are considering jumping ship out of fear that being seen as a “Harris person” could spoil their future job prospects, a report suggested on Friday.

The Axios report came as four top Harris advisers — Communications Director Ashley Etienne, chief spokeswoman Symone Sanders, Director of Press Operations Peter Velz and Deputy Director of Public Engagement Vince Evans — plan to leave their posts by the year’s end.

Sources told the outlet that while some of the turnover was due to burnout and the pursuit of new opportunities, another factor was concern about staying on too long with a VP beset by missteps and unflattering headlines.

According to Axios, some Harris staffers have their eyes on a post in President Biden’s likely 2024 re-election campaign, while others want to keep their options open in case he does not run again.

But at least one Democratic operative cited by Axios denied that Harris’ staffers believed working with her would negatively affect their careers.

And the White House has shrugged off the departures of key Harris aides, with press secretary Jen Psaki saying on Thursday that “working in the first year of a White House is exciting and rewarding, but it’s also grueling and exhausting” and that such exits are “natural.”

Harris has been facing a torrent of bad press about her management of staff.

In late June, Politico described the VP’s office as “chaotic” with a “tense and at times dour” atmosphere. One source called the environment “abusive” and said that “people feel treated like s- -t.”

Days later, Business Insider reported on Harris’ management style dating to her time as the San Francisco district attorney more than 15 years ago. Some former staffers remembered her as “unpredictable and at times demeaning,” while another recalled “a sense of paranoia.”