Former Clinton staffer, USC grad joins Kamala Harris’ 2020 SC campaign

Kamala Harris is adding a familiar S.C. face to a key post.

Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign announced Friday it has hired Jalisa Washington-Price as the U.S. senator’s S.C. director and a national deputy policy director. Washington-Price, who will be based in South Carolina, will help lead and advise Harris’ campaign on S.C. and out-of-state efforts.

The hire shows Harris, D-Calif., is placing a significant emphasis on South Carolina, home to the South’s first presidential primary.

Washington-Price is no stranger to politics.

Most recently, she was the chief of staff of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, helping Democrats win back a majority in the U.S. House in November. In 2016, she was S.C. director for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Clinton won the state’s Democratic primary in a landslide.

Washington-Price also previously worked for the S.C. House and on former state Rep. Bakari Sellers’ unsuccessful 2014 bid for lieutenant governor.

Washington-Price, a Columbia native and University of South Carolina graduate, is the daughter of former Richland County councilman Kelvin Washington.

Harris returns to South Carolina for her second trip since announcing her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16.

This story was originally published February 8, 2019 at 7:06 AM.

Maayan Schechter

The State

Maayan Schechter (My-yahn Schek-ter) is the senior editor of The State’s politics and government team. She has covered the S.C. State House and politics for The State since 2017. She grew up in Atlanta, Ga. and graduated from the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2013. She previously worked at the Aiken Standard and the Greenville News. She has won reporting awards in South Carolina. Support my work with a digital subscription