Former Obama administration spokeswoman-turned-Fox News pundit Marie Harf is giving up her role as a favorite liberal among conservatives to join the fledgling presidential campaign of Massachusetts congressman Seth Moulton.
Sources close to Harf said she will announce her decision later today on “Benson and Harf,” her Fox News Radio show. Co-host Guy Benson will solo host the radio show after Harf’s departure. Moulton, 40, a former Marine Corps officer, announced his presidential candidacy last month and is currently polling at under 0.5% in a crowded Democratic field.
Harf, 37, was the spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department during the Obama administration after previously working at the CIA.
In 2015, she defended Obama’s strategy to defeat ISIS claiming jobs were the key. “They’re in this fight with us. But we cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war. We need in the medium- to longer-term to go after the root causes that lead people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs,” Harf said.
This prompted mockery from conservatives on Twitter and the trending hashtag #jobsforisis. But she was defended by figures from across the political spectrum when she was branded a “dumb blonde” by the mayor of Ankara and won praise from the Right for her ability to articulate moderate Democratic positions on Fox.
It is not known what role Harf will take on the campaign.
