8/22: Dean Barkley Steps Aside As Campaign Manager

After I found out last week about Dean's work as a lobbyist in Minnesota, he and I had many conversations about the conflict this presented for my campaign. He felt that his work as a lobbyist in Minnesota was an unnecessary distraction to the campaign and that he should leave. So after much thought and with great respect and admiration for Dean, we concluded that it would be best for the campaign for him to step down. He has done an outstanding job of getting our campaign up and running, and keeping it organized and on message. I thank him for his time, his effort, his energy, and his commitment to helping me put an end to politics as usual in the state of California.

Bill Zimmerman will continue as the campaign strategist, and he and his team will take on more of the day to day management duties.

Below is the letter that Dean wrote to me this morning.

Dear Arianna,

When I discovered earlier this week that my work in Minnesota as a lobbyist was still raising concerns with some of your supporters, I decided that for the good of the campaign I should remove this distraction and step down as your campaign manager.

Even though this was not an easy decision for me to make, it is the right thing to do. It has been a privilege to work with you – and I know that the campaign, which we have all worked so hard on for the past two weeks, will be a great success. I look forward to watching you remake the California political landscape.