Did Marie Harf jump, or was she pushed?  This news from the Daily Beast caught me by surprise:

Marie Harf is stepping down from her post as a political commentator for Fox News Channel and co-host of Fox News Radio’s Benson and Harf — a show co-hosted with Guy Benson — to join Team [Seth] Moulton as deputy campaign manager for policy and communications, The Daily Beast confirmed.

Harf’s hire adds more foreign-policy credentials to the 40-year-old veteran’s early presidential campaign.  Prior to becoming a talking head, she worked as a senior communications adviser to former Secretary of State John Kerry and at the CIA as a Middle East analyst.  She also ran former President Barack Obama’s national-security strategy during the 2012 election.

If the name Seth Moulton is not familiar to you, he is a Massachusetts Democrat in the House of Representatives who is a declared candidate for president, having announced his candidacy on April 22 on Good Morning America:

Moulton is such a long shot at this point that he does not even show up on the Real Clear Politics Average of polls in New Hampshire.  But maybe Harf is getting in on the ground floor with a comer, whose appeal will grow over the months ahead before Democrats start caucusing and voting on their nominee.  Nathaniel Rakich of 538.com sees him as a dark horse with a lot to recommend him:

While Moulton might not yet be a household name, he fits neatly into a certain mold of 2020 candidate — the young, ambitious U.S. representatives who feel their time has come.  Like Tim Ryan, he has criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi's leadership of the party; like Eric Swalwell, he toppled an incumbent to win his seat the first time; and like Tulsi Gabbard, he served in the military.  But though he has little to lose by running, Moulton, like his colleagues, will have to overcome history — not to mention several better-known candidates — to win the nomination.

One thing Moulton has in his favor is an impressive résumé.  A Marine Corps veteran with three Harvard degrees, Moulton served four tours in Iraq and won two medals for valor that he kept under wraps until the Boston Globe broke the story just before he was elected to Congress in 2014.  Earlier that year, he had mounted a successful primary challenge against nine-term Rep. John Tierney, who enjoyed the support of major figures like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren[.] ...

Moulton has several assets that could make him a serious contender.  He has reportedly already retained a team of several campaign staffers and advisers, and he has been working with prominent Democratic polling firm The Mellman Group.  He is a strong fundraiser, having raised $10.9 million over the last three election cycles between his campaign and his political action committee, including at least $1.6 million before the 2014 primary.  His PAC was active in 2018 and helped to elect other Democratic veterans and "next generation leaders," with Moulton campaigning for candidates in 16 states.

Moulton and Harf may be aware of all the problems ahead for Joe Biden and figuring that the long knives of other contenders will sufficiently remind the public of his past positions that now are anathema to the Democrats' base, not to mention his corruption problems in China and Ukraine.

I have no way of knowing whether Harf was finding a new gig because her Fox News perch was in danger.  It is notable that the arrival of Donna Brazile as a Democrat opinion contributor may have cut down on the airtime available for Harf.  And her departure now means that the radio show she co-hosted with Guy Benson desperately needs a new liberal foil if it is to survive.

I've never been much impressed with Harf, but if Moulton turns out to rocket up the standings, I might revise my judgment.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab via The Hill.