As Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gears up for another likely run at the presidency, women who worked on his last campaign are voicing their pain and anger after experiencing indignities including sexual harassment and pay inequality.
As first reported by Politico, 2016 Bernie alums got the ball rolling Sunday with a letter to the senator’s campaign committee asking for a meeting to discuss the sexism that clouded the previous campaign, and devise methods to prevent it from happening again.
A Wednesday New York Times report delved into specific experiences female staffers endured, as well as some reactions by former senior staffers.
Female campaign staffers told tales of uncomfortable sleeping arrangements in rooms of men, inappropriate sexual advances coupled with a lack of response by higher-ups and flagrant pay gaps.
“Was it too male? Yes. Was it too white? Yes,” former campaign manager Jeff Weaver told the Times of the 2016 campaign. “Would this be a priority to remedy on any future campaign? Definitely, and we share deeply in the urgency for all of us to make change. In 2016, as the size of our campaign exploded, we made efforts to make it a positive experience for people. That there was a failure pains me very much.”
