Academic and Green Party presidential candidate Cornel West announced Sunday night that blogger Peter Daou is joining his team as campaign manager, replacing acting manager Jill Stein. Peter Daou previously worked as the campaign manager for Democratic hopeful Marianne Williamson earlier this year.
Daou, an experienced activist, musician, and progressive blogger behind the Daou Report, has a lengthy history of working on presidential campaigns. He previously held the position of online communications manager for Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004 and managed digital operations for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2008. Moreover, he played an active and vocal role in diffusing tensions between the supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders and Clinton following the 2016 Democratic primary.
Daou left the Democratic Party in 2020, calling it on now-X “a party without a moral compass that cannot defeat the GOP.” Shortly after, he enrolled as an independent and supported then-Green nominee Jill Stein.
In late August, Independent Political Report was first alerted to rumors that West’s campaign was replacing Stein, the former 2012 and 2016 Green Party presidential nominee and the campaign’s then-acting manager. The West campaign did not respond to an email from Independent Political Report regarding the removal of Stein and whether she was assuming a different position in the campaign at the time.
However, on Sunday evening, the West campaign issued a press release officially naming Daou as the new campaign manager.
“It is an honor to be part of Dr. Cornel West’s historic campaign for president […],” Daou stated about his appointment in the release, “His presence in the 2024 race gives voters an exceptional choice for truth and justice beyond the corrupt and corrosive duopoly. Democracy means choice, it means options for voters, not coronations and vote-shaming. It is long past time to practice democracy rather than just pay it lip service.”
While there was no mention of Jill Stein in the release, she remarked on social media in the days leading up to the announcement that she was transitioning to a senior advisor role and would now focus on ballot access for the campaign.
“I am deeply honored to have served as acting campaign manager for the Cornel West for President Campaign since June 10, when Ajamu Baraka and I encouraged Dr. West to seek the Green Party nomination […],” Stein posted on X last Friday. “With the campaign now poised to bring on experienced new team members, I am able to transition to a senior advisory role, where I can focus on the challenging ballot access work that lies ahead. This will also free me up to return to the role I have played for the past 10 years as a former Green Party presidential candidate and informal spokesperson.”
A full version of the press release can be read below:
Not interested in voting for a socialist.