Bethany Hall-Long’s Campaign Director and Fundraising Director Are Leaving
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Bethany Hall-Long’s Campaign Director and Fundraising Director Are Leaving

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In the days following an investigative audit that uncovered several campaign finance irregularities, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s gubernatorial campaign announced the departure of two top staffers.

The announcement comes in the final weeks before the September 10 primary election.

According to a statement released July 31, campaign director Quentin Heilbroner and fundraising director Sydney Diewald have decided to leave the team by the end of the week.

According to reliable sources, both Heilbroner’s and Diewald’s departure took place in a “friendly atmosphere.”

What changes have occurred to Bethany Hall-Long’s campaign staff?

Diewald joined Hall-Long’s campaign in January 2024, along with then-campaign director Donnie Johnson.

They joined after several top staff members, including then-campaign manager Brandon Cox and fundraising consultant Jennifer Mueller, left while the campaign was undergoing an internal audit in response to issues with last year’s campaign finance data.

The issues came to light shortly after Hall-Long announced her intention to run for governor last fall.

According to outside sources, Johnson had left the campaign several months earlier for personal reasons.

Before Johnson and Diewald were hired, Cheryl Webb was named treasurer after Allison Murray left less than a month into Hall-Long’s campaign.

Murray previously replaced Hall-Long’s husband in the same position.

Related: Personnel changes bring two new faces to Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s gubernatorial campaign

Who will lead Bethany Hall-Long’s campaign?

Matt Dougherty, a Delaware native, was named Hall-Long’s new campaign manager, citing his experience working at multiple levels of Democratic politics, including in the First State, the statement said.

Dougherty was considered for the Wilmington City Council chief of staff position in 2022, but a letter of recommendation in his favor submitted in June was withdrawn for unknown reasons, according to previous reports.

Prior to his new position, Dougherty also served as campaign coordinator for Senator Tom Carper.

In addition to Dougherty, Debra DeLuca will assume fundraising responsibilities, while Dan McCormick will remain as communications director, according to the statement.

In a telephone interview, Dougherty declined to comment for this story.

A keen look: Why Wilmington City Council Still Hasn’t Hired a Chief of Staff

Will Bethany Hall-Long remain in the governor’s race?

An audit of Hall-Long’s campaign finances released earlier this week found the campaign’s reporting to be “incomplete, inconsistent, inaccurate and misleading.”

After the audit findings were released, some state officials, including Delaware House of Representatives Rep. Sophie Phillips, called on Hall-Long to end her campaign for governor.

New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, the Democratic candidate for governor, called for a federal investigation into Hall-Long’s campaign finances during a July 30 news conference.

Hall-Long, in an emailed statement Friday, disputed the forensic audit’s findings and pledged to address any concerns.

“I will address any accounting discrepancies as they arise,” the lieutenant governor said.

More: Calls for federal investigation and end to gubernatorial campaign plague Lt. Gov. Hall-Long’s campaign

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