DemDaily: DNC Chair’s Race Heats Up!

December 16, 2024

The race for the next Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is in full swing as the narrowing field of serious contenders court not just voting members, but the press and public in the very national campaign.

Now out of the White House, Democrats' next leader must be able to reshape and rebrand a wounded Party, while going toe-to-toe against Donald Trump for the next four years.

Last Thursday, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) voted to recommend the Rules of Procedure that will guide the election process for the next DNC Chair and National Committee Officers.

The 448 voting members of the DNC will formally approve the rules during the DNC Winter Meeting, which will occur January 30 - February 1, 2025 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

Election Rules of Procedure Highlightsa
* Qualification: Each candidate for National Chairperson shall file with the Secretary a nominating statement signed by 40 DNC members, indicating the state of residence of the candidate and such DNC members. Deadline: January 25, 2025, 8:00pm ET.
* Process: If a new Chairperson is not elected with a majority of the vote on the first ballot, a second ballot shall be conducted. If a new Chairperson is not elected on the second ballot, additional ballots shall be conducted until a Chairperson is elected. In each round, the candidate receiving the fewest number of votes shall be eliminated.
* There will be a period of at least 10 minutes between ballots.
* Winner: The recipient of a simple majority of the votes cast by members of the DNC in person or by proxy.

The same rules and process will be conducted for the election of the DNC's National Officers, which includes Treasurer, Secretary, National Finance Chair, Vice Chairperson for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation, and the three other Vice Chairpersons, in that order.

The Candidates and Contenders
Ken Martin, 51, Minnesota Democratic Farm Labor Party Chair, DNC Vice Chair and President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC).

Credited with building a model state party with record wins and fundraising numbers, Martin boasts that, since becoming chair in 2011, Minnesota Democrats have not lost a statewide election in the purple state.

Martin, who has worked closely with every state party since being elected as ASDC President in 2017, and unanimously reelected in 2021, has garnered early support. Martin’s campaign confirmed that, as of today, he has 140 endorsements from DNC members. He announced November 19.

Martin O'Malley, 61, who recently stepped down as Biden's Social Security Administration Commissioner to run for DNC Chair, served as mayor of Baltimore (1999-2007) and then as a popular two-term governor of Maryland (2007-2015). He served two terms as the Chair of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), from 2010-2012, and briefly campaigned for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

O’Malley cites his successful track record as DGA Chair when he oversaw their 50-state strategy, ultimately “expanded our map to so-called red states winning governor races in Montana, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia and North Carolina.” He announced November 18.

Ben Wikler, 43, Wisconsin Democratic Party (WDP) Chair, has earned national recognition for his leadership and fundraising prowess, building what Politico called a “winning machine” since being elected in 2019. The DPW was named State Party of the Year in 2020 by the Washington Post, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has praised his record, referring to Wikler as "Big Ben."

Of November’s election, Wikler notes that Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1% -- the closest race in this year's swing states -- and that Harris still got 37,000 more votes in Wisconsin than President Biden did four years ago.

Wikler previously worked on statewide campaigns and at a senior level on a series of national progressive issue campaigns and organizations, including Change.org and MoveOn.org. He was the host and founder of The Good Fight, a nationally known podcast and radio program (2013-2016). He announced December 1.

James Skoufis, 37, is as a New York State Senator, having won his seat three times as a Democrat on "Trump turf." Skoufis pledges to bring the lessons he’s learned winning in a purple district to the Democratic Party at large.

He represents the 42nd District, which covers nearly all of Orange County – which includes urban, exurban, suburban and rural portions – “a microcosm, where most Democrats aren’t winning anymore, or struggle to eke it out.” He announced November 30.

Nate Snyder, a former US Department of Homeland Security official and University of Chicago adjunct professor, announced his bid for the chair's race December 10, becoming the fifth candidate to enter into the race -- and the only one of color. Snyder is Hispanic and Jewish.

Snyder told Reuters he decided to run after attending a recent meeting of state party officials in Scottsdale, Arizona, which he felt lacked the sense of urgency needed for change. "We can't repeat this, no matter what, because our democracy depends on it," he said.

Out
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Voting Rights Activist Stacey Abrams, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, former DNC Vice Chair Michael Blake, Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb, former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, political strategist Chuck Rocha.

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Sources: The Hill, CNN, Politico, ABC, CBS, City and State, Reuters