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LOS ANGELES—Bernie Sanders' national press secretary, one of the most prominent women of color and young people in presidential politics, said Sunday that she has left the campaign.


Symone D. Sanders revealed the decision to Fusion before appearing on a panel of women in politics at Politicon, a convention in Los Angeles.

She said that she was not let go and that leaving the campaign was her decision. On the panel, she identified herself as the former press secretary "as of today."


Symone Sanders, 26, joined the Bernie Sanders campaign in August 2015 and quickly became one of the highest-profile black surrogates working in the presidential campaign.

In January, Fusion profiled her as part of The 30, a series highlighting women age 30 and under who are influencing the election. She said she got into politics because it "touches every single avenue of life," and she spoke about why she admired the Vermont senator.

"The conversations he is having were the conversations I was having with my friends," she said. "I believe in Bernie Sanders."

On women specifically, she said, "I appreciate the fact that he's right on our issues. And that he likes women so much that he likes to employ a lot of us in really great positions."


Sanders is from Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from Creighton University. Before joining Bernie Sanders' campaign, she worked on the campaign of a candidate for Nebraska governor in 2014 and for a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 2015.

She leaves as Bernie Sanders faces increasing pressure to end his campaign and endorse Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee. Sanders said Friday that he would vote for Clinton but stopped short of an endorsement.


The senator has said he is fighting to make sure that progressive policy goals, including a $15 minimum wage and guaranteed universal health care, make it into the platform statement that the Democratic Party will adopt at its convention next month in Philadelphia.