Businessman Tom Steyer (D) snagged a staffer from Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-Calif.) failed presidential campaign to serve as a senior adviser on his own White House bid.
Steyer’s campaign announced Thursday that it hired Zack Davis to serve as senior adviser for battleground states. Davis had worked as Harris’s senior adviser for her Iowa operations before the California Democrat dropped out of the race earlier this month.
Davis previously served as state director for Let America Vote and Iowa state director for NextGen Climate in 2016. He also worked for former President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 Iowa campaigns.
“I’ve seen firsthand Tom’s dedication to tackling the climate crisis and lifting up the voices of Americans all across this country, and I am thrilled to be joining his campaign,” Davis said in a statement.
“As we hit the final sprint before the Iowa caucuses, I know Tom’s message of ending the corporate takeover of our government and bringing democracy back to the American people will continue to resonate with voters who see him as the best candidate to go up against Trump and beat him,” he continued.
Davis is just one of several former Harris campaign staffers who are sought after by rival camps.
Steyer, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist who launched his presidential campaign in July, has remain stuck in the low and middle tiers of the primary field but has polled high enough to make several of the debates, including the one taking place Thursday night.
However, he still trails several other 2020 contenders, with the RealClearPolitics polling average showing Steyer sitting at 1.5 percent.
The Steyer campaign expressed confidence that Davis could help propel him in the four early states with the hope that strong showings there can improve Steyer’s standing in later primaries and caucuses.
“Zack is a top political mind and an Iowa expert, and the campaign is lucky to have him,” said Heather Hargreaves, Steyer’s campaign manager. “I’m looking forward to working with him and the entire battleground team as we continue to grow in Iowa and across the country.”