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Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson named Carlos Cardona as her new campaign manager on Friday — her third campaign manager since she launched her bid for the presidency in March.
Cardona previously served as Williamson’s state director in New Hampshire, which is a major focus of the campaign despite the Democratic National Committee’s reshuffling of the primary calendar.
“We’re going to spend some serious time in New Hampshire,” Cardona told NBC News. “Joe Biden’s not campaigning here, there’s a huge opportunity to talk to voters here that are not being heard or listened to.”
The DNC’s decision to make South Carolina the party’s first officially sanctioned primary of 2024 isn’t stopping New Hampshire leaders from vowing to hold their primary first. Even though states that jump their spot on the calendar look set to have their pledged delegates docked by the DNC, long-shot Democrats are campaigning in New Hampshire in a bid to gain early momentum.
In addition to Williamson, Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also spending time and resources in the Granite State.
Cardona says he was suffering from homelessness when he first moved to New Hampshire and credits the state for his upward mobility. Cardona ran for a New Hampshire state House seat in both 2018 and 2020 but fell short in both elections. He believes Williamson’s progressive platform can garner more success than he had heading into 2024.
“Bernie Sanders won in New Hampshire, progressives win in New Hampshire,” Cardona said.
As for Williamson’s unusually high turnover at the top of her campaign, Cardona says his predecessors left the campaign due to personal reasons. In March, Politico reported Williamson was abusive to her staff during her 2020 presidential run. Cardona criticized the article and said, “Marianne is a boss just like any other boss.”
He believes conversations around Marianne’s campaign manager shake-ups are evidence of a double standard between men and women — though no one else has had the same level of turmoil on their staff so far.
“I’m not sure the men in this race are being looked at under the same lens when it comes to staffing,” Cardona said.
