The vice president’s brain trust is younger, more racially diverse and larger than President Biden’s. Her advisers can expect a lot of phone calls in the coming weeks.
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Jen
O’Malley Dillon
Jalisa
Washington-Price
Kristin
Bertolina Faust
Stephanie
Cutter
Strategists
Ike Irby
Policy
advisErs
Megan Jones
Family
Rohini
Kosoglu
Doug Emhoff
Minyon Moore
Maya Harris
Brian Fallon
Deanne
Millison
Tony West
Chrisette Hudlin
Sheila Nix
Kamala Harris
Josh Hsu
Catherine
Cortez Masto
Cedric
Richmond
Sean Clegg
Brian
Nelson
Marty Walsh
Laphonza Butler
Confidants
Adam
Frankel
Kristine
Lucius
Kirsten Allen
Lorraine Voles
Office of the
Vice President
Erin Wilson
Phil Gordon
Jen O’Malley Dillon
Jalisa
Washington-Price
Kristin
Bertolina Faust
Stephanie
Cutter
Strategists
Ike Irby
Policy
advisErs
Megan Jones
Family
Rohini
Kosoglu
Doug Emhoff
Maya Harris
Minyon Moore
Brian Fallon
Deanne Millison
Tony West
Chrisette Hudlin
Sheila Nix
Kamala Harris
Josh Hsu
Catherine
Cortez Masto
Cedric
Richmond
Sean Clegg
Brian Nelson
Marty Walsh
Laphonza Butler
Confidants
Adam
Frankel
Kristine
Lucius
Kirsten Allen
Lorraine Voles
Office of the
Vice President
Phil Gordon
Erin Wilson
Brian Fallon
Sean Clegg
Sheila Nix
Strategists
Kristin
Bertolina Faust
Adam Frankel
Jen
O’Malley Dillon
Megan
Jones
Stephanie
Cutter
Jalisa
Washington-Price
Family
Doug Emhoff
Maya Harris
Minyon Moore
Tony West
Chrisette Hudlin
Kamala Harris
Confidants
Catherine
Cortez Masto
Cedric
Richmond
Marty Walsh
Laphonza Butler
Office of the
Vice President
Lorraine
Voles
Phil Gordon
Erin Wilson
Kirsten Allen
Policy advisErs
Deanne
Millison
Kristine
Lucius
Josh Hsu
Ike Irby
Rohini
Kosoglu
Brian
Nelson
 
By Katie RogersErica L. Green and Reid J. Epstein
Reporting from Washington
Aug. 17, 2024, 5:03 a.m. ET
Her revamped presidential campaign has quickly added loyalists from her 2019 primary bid. Her former aides have returned to write a convention speech and see her through a debate against Donald J. Trump. Her sister flew to Washington, joining her as she made a pork roast and marinated over her choices for a running mate.
As Vice President Kamala Harris races through the final weeks of her campaign — the only weeks, really — she is relying on a network of confidants to guide her through the hurdles ahead.
This group looks nothing like President Biden’s tightly held brain trust, a group that was dominated by older white men and family members and grew smaller as he approached the decision to end his campaign. Ms. Harris, by contrast, relies on a multiracial, intergenerational web of about two dozen advisers, friends and relatives, firing up her phone every day to call in favors or ask for advice.
“None of us knew that this moment would come,” said Senator Laphonza Butler, a Democrat from California and one of several Golden State allies of Ms. Harris. But, she added, “when the opportunity presented itself, of course, we were ready to do whatever was asked of us.”
While Ms. Harris has her own inner circle, she was also thrust into a campaign with only a few weeks to make her case to the American people. So she has accepted the help and support of much of Mr. Biden’s team, added a few Obama-era operatives and elevated some loyalists of her own to positions of power.
The message from the top to many of the Biden faithful has been: This is not a hostile takeover, it’s a friendly merger.
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