The Iowa-based staffer who worked as the national organizing director for Democrat Tim Ryan's presidential campaign has left to take the same role with Andrew Yang's campaign.

Yang's campaign spokeswoman Hilary Kinney said that Zach Fang joined their staff as national organizing director on Aug. 1.

Fang was one of two Iowa-based staffers working for Ryan, although much of his work focused on the national level. Ryan's state director, Chris Bowen, is the only Iowa staffer left.

When asked about Fang's departure, Brad Bauman, who runs Harta Communications, the Washington, D.C.-based firm that had been handling communications for Ryan, said Thursday that as of Aug. 23, his team was no longer with the campaign.

Peter Mellinger, Ryan's director of states, said another adviser with the campaign has taken over the communications role. He praised Fang and the communications team for their work.

"The Harta team was great and Zach Fang was terrific for us and we wish them all the best," Mellinger said.

Mellinger said the campaign has not filled Fang's position but did recently hire an additional staffer in South Carolina, where Ryan has received some endorsements recently.

Ryan, a U.S. representative from Ohio, and Yang, a tech entrepreneur, are competing for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Both candidates have registered low in state and national polling. In the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll in June, 1% of likely Democratic caucusgoers picked Yang as their first choice for president, while 0% chose Ryan.

Both candidates participated in the first two televised Democratic presidential debates in June and July, but unlike Ryan, Yang will be on stage for the next debate in September after the Democratic National Committee raised the requirements for inclusion.

On Wednesday, Ryan's campaign issued a news release shrugging off the news that he had failed to make the debate stage in September and promising to continue campaigning in early states.

"While these national platforms are helpful, our campaign is focused on the old school tactics like taking our message directly to the voters and caucus-goers in the communities of the early states," Senior Campaign Adviser Michael Morley said in the release.

The two candidates have joked with each other on the campaign trail. Earlier this month, after Yang appeared in a viral video dancing the "Cupid Shuffle," Ryan said on Twitter that he was "negotiating the terms of my dance-off" with Yang.

"Winner gets $1,000 a month," Ryan tweeted, referencing a signature campaign promise of Yang's to give every American adult a "universal basic income" of $1,000 per month.

"Great seeing you Tim!" Yang responded. "I choose the one dance I can do apparently."

No word on whether the dance-off has taken place.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

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