Two journalists are joining the 2020 presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), part of a string of new hires the campaign unveiled Tuesday.
Briahna Joy Gray, formerly a senior politics editor at The Intercept, is joining the campaign as national press secretary, according to Refinery29.
David Sirota, who has reported for Capital & Main and the International Business Times and written a column for The Guardian, said Tuesday that he accepted a job to serve as Sanders’ speechwriter and senior adviser.
“When Bernie asked me to join his campaign, I felt I could not turn that request down, because I genuinely believe that the future of our country, our planet and our children are at stake in this election,” Sirota wrote on Facebook. “As many of you know, I worked for Bernie 20 years ago, just after I got out of college when he was in the U.S. House. This was a formative experience for me. So in addition to knowing that this job is an important contribution to a national effort, I am personally thrilled to be working for one of the most decent and honorable people I’ve ever known. This new job was not something I expected or planned for ― but it is something I am excited to do.”
Sanders’ campaign announced 15 new hires Tuesday, including 10 women, many of whom are women of color. According to the campaign, its national leadership team now consists of about 70 percent women.
The Vermont senator has responded to criticism that his 2016 presidential campaign included few women and people of color, and he has apologized to female staffers who said they were sexually harassed by their male colleagues. He has vowed to do better on both fronts.
Last week, Sanders’ staff made history for becoming the first major-party presidential campaign to ever form a union.