Democratic National Committee to begin its rebuilding project
DNC to set rules for chair election as it grapples with what went wrong.
Democrats will begin the process of rebuilding their leadership Thursday afternoon when a subgroup of the Democratic National Committee meets in Washington to set the rules to elect a new party chair to succeed Jamie Harrison.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will lay out procedural guidelines for the simmering race to lead the campaigning and fundraising arm of the national party that is embroiled in self-reflection and a touch of finger-pointing at the vulnerabilities and pitfalls of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ bids for the White House and who exactly should shoulder the blame.
Some details expected to be hashed out Thursday include when four candidate forums, effectively mini-debates, will occur, and if any of them will be moderated on live television, as well as voting and balloting procedures. Executing this election will be one of the final acts of the current RBC, chaired by Minyon Moore and Jim Roosevelt Jr., as a new party chair could shake up membership.
And candidates have just eight weeks to lay out their case to the body’s 447 members, who are set to elect their new leader on Feb. 1.
The field, currently composed of five men -- four white and one Latino -- could become even more crowded in the new year. But for now, the declared candidates are: Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party; former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley; New York state Sen. James Skoufis; and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler. And former Department of Homeland Security staffer Nate Snyder announced his bid on Wednesday.
To qualify for the upcoming forums, these candidates need a minimum of 40 members to support their bid via petition.
Many of the candidates are expected to be at Thursday's meeting.
Akin to running for public office -- or possibly school council -- candidates hire a staff, launch their own websites, hand out swag, and begin to work the phones behind the scenes to land the nearly 230 votes needed to win. Martin’s crew, for example, is nicknamed KNOT -- Ken’s National Organizing Team.
Perhaps the most familiar name to DNC members is Martin, who serves as vice-chair of the organization alongside his DFL role. He’s also a sitting member of the RBC, with long ties to state and local party-building. Martin’s campaign confirmed to ABC News that he has over 100 endorsements from DNC members.
Wikler, another Midwesterner, also has significant name ID, and is a popular pick across the spectrum of the party, endorsed by centrist group Third Way and farther-left like MoveOn and Bold Progressive in the same day. Wikler also joined Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” earlier this week.
“Ben is an unstoppable uniter, organizer, and messenger who knows how to win tough elections,” Brianna Johnson, spokesperson for Ben Wikler for DNC Chair, told ABC News. “Since he became Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party -- in a 50-50 state --Democrats in Wisconsin have won 7 of the past 10 statewide races, raised more money than any other state party over the same time period, and have taken back power in a state once rigged by Republicans.”
O’Malley and Skoufis have appeared on cable news outlets to boost their bids as well, pitching themselves as not beholden to the Washington donor class.
Internally, Martin’s network seems to be working to his advantage, said a DNC member with close knowledge of the candidates who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the process.
“He’s working the phones with multiple calls to undecided DNC members, and has a strong surrogate campaign to do the same thing. His network as ASDC Chair seems to be working to his advantage, although it looks like he might have hit a wall with endorsements,” the DNC member said.
In contrast, that same member says they and a handful of other members they’ve spoken to have yet to hear from O’Malley by phone -- just by email.
“I haven’t heard from anyone who he’s talked to, in contrast with the Martin and Wikler campaigns that are actively whipping votes,” the DNC member said.
An O’Malley aide told ABC News that the former Maryland governor recently resigned from his post as commissioner of the Social Security Administration to seek the DNC role, and his team is working around the clock to reach all 447 members.
“Democrats are looking for an operational leader and in this contest that’s Martin O’Malley,” the aide said. “He’s running as a change-maker not a caretaker with a record as mayor, governor, and commissioner of bringing people together to deliver success.” the aide said.
A dark horse candidate could also shake up dynamics as well, leaving the possibility for a wide-open race. The DNC executive committee will meet Friday, though little news is expected from that smaller gathering.