The way people talk about campaign staffers is annoying as hell. There’s a reason these stories get more attention when they involve Democrats: we’re supposed to be the party that cares about workers’ rights and treating employees well. When a Democrat mistreats their staff, it goes directly against what we claim to stand for. Frankly, too many staffers are treated like trash. They work endless hours, aren’t paid enough, and are expected to accept disrespect as part of the job. Staffers uprooted their entire lives to move to Delaware leaving their homes, businesses, and support systems for jobs that didn’t necessarily need to be based there. People made real financial and personal sacrifices, and the compensation didn’t reflect what was being asked of them. Then every time this comes up, somebody who worked on a campaign years ago chimes in with, “That’s how I was treated.” Okay? That doesn’t make it right. It means you deserved better, too. We’ve normalized asking people to sacrifice their financial stability, personal lives, and dignity for the supposed “privilege” of working on a campaign. Believing in a candidate or a cause should not mean accepting mistreatment from the people asking you to fight for it. And treating people better would actually make campaigns better. Pay people fairly. Respect their time. Give them competent management and a workplace where they feel valued. You’ll attract good people, keep experienced staff, and get better work. Stop looking down on staffers and start treating them like employees you actually want to keep. Campaigns and government offices need to take that responsibility seriously. If we believe workers deserve fair pay and respect, that has to include the people working for us.