The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on Monday, November 25th, that they will hold an election for chairperson on February 1st. This will be the party’s first election after the defeat of Kamala Harris earlier this month, aiming to test future direction.
The chairperson election will begin on January 30th at the National Harbor Convention Center in Maryland during the committee’s winter meeting and will culminate on February 1st. Throughout January, the DNC will host four candidate forums, some in person and others via video.
As of now, Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota, and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley have announced their candidacies. Other potential candidates include Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Mallory McMorrow, a senator from Michigan, and Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha.
Jaime Harrison, the chair of the DNC, announced that he will not seek re-election.
O’Malley began his campaign on November 18th. From 2007 to 2015, he served as mayor of Baltimore, governor of Maryland, and most recently as director of the Social Security Administration. He also led the Association of State Democratic Chairs and ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.
On social networking platform X, he wrote, “We must connect our party with the most important places in America – every family’s kitchen table.”
He also stated, “Providing employment, opportunities, and economic security for everyone, getting things done, full of hope, presenting strategies for all 50 states, taking immediate action!”
Ken Martin is the current Vice Chair of the DNC and the current head of the Association of State Democratic Chairs. He delivered a campaign speech on November 19th, praising the election results of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, claiming “we’ve won every statewide election, won 22 in a row, we’re the last standing ‘blue wall’ state.”
The DFL he leads is one of the two major parties in Minnesota, affiliated with the Democratic Party, and can be seen as a branch of the Democratic Party in Minnesota.
On X platform, he wrote, “When I took over the Minnesota DFL, we were in debt, in chaos, but we brought people together, built a winning coalition, and achieved results. I’m ready to start working to rebuild our party.”
The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC will hold a meeting on December 12th, where members are expected to vote on the chair election procedures. In 2021, the committee stipulated that candidates must obtain signatures from at least 40 DNC members to participate in the vote. The four forums scheduled for January will also adhere to the same threshold.
Harrison wrote in a letter to DNC members, “As my chairmanship is coming to an end, we are preparing for important work… We are beginning to establish processes for the DNC officer elections next year; the DNC will do its utmost to hold a transparent, fair, and just election for the next generation of leaders to guide the party forward.”
(This article is based on reporting from POLITICO)