WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic Party faces existential questions after Donald Trump’s overwhelming victory. One of the first: who will run it?
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison is not expected to seek a second term, leaving a vacancy that must be filled by March 1 under the party’s charter. Whoever takes office will say volumes about how the party wants to present itself in the future and what issues they believe will hamper Democrats in 2024 against Trump.
The novel leader will also oversee the party’s nomination process for 2028, a convoluted and contentious matter that will put that person at the center of the next presidential election. Harrison was mocked for supporting President Joe Biden, even as many Democratic voters questioned whether the president should run again. He was accused after Biden’s disastrous debate performance of pushing for a virtual roll call before Biden decided to withdraw.
The early debate over Harrison’s replacement appears to be based on a clear dividing line: Do Democrats need an agent with clear skills and experience in reshaping the party’s infrastructure? Or does the party need a communicator who can respond to whatever the Trump administration has in mind and who can sell Democratic ideas to a public that has rejected them at the ballot box?
“You have to find someone from outside Washington who understands grassroots politics,” said Howard Dean, a former chairman who took the position after George W. Bush won a second term as president. Dean said he has received calls from members urging him to run, but he has no plans to do so. “The DNC is often a creature of Washington, which is a big problem. … You need a DNC big enough to include the entire country.”
A private meeting of Democratic leaders is scheduled for mid-December in Scottsdale, Arizona. There is already speculation among participants that sedate candidates will attend the meeting or at least be announced by then.
After Tuesday’s brawl, there is a feeling among at least some rank-and-file members of the DNC that the committee’s more than 440 voting members would be more likely to vote for an outsider with close ties to the party’s formal establishment. Some would also like the novel leader to fill a full-time position, which would be challenging for a current incumbent.
“As the party looks to the future, we must be prepared for the important task of uniting and strengthening Democrats at every level and holding Trump’s Republican Party accountable for the harm it will inflict on the American people,” said Rosemary Boeglin, a spokesperson for the committee. “In the coming weeks, we will establish a process for electing a new leader to guide us on this path forward.”
The potential candidates, from Beto to Buttigieg
Some of the more prominent leaders who have several top Democrats on their minds include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, former Georgia Rep. Stacey Abrams, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; and Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland and current commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
The lesser-known route features Ken Martin, the state party chairman, the chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the vice chairman of the national party. Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party; and Michael Blake, a former deputy leader of the party.
Murphy and O’Malley have been conducting initial discussions with DNC members and donors over the past day or so, according to people with direct knowledge of the campaign. It is unclear whether they will enter the race.
O’Rourke, said a person familiar with his thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly, is being asked by donors and activists to run.
Beshear, a 46-year-old two-term Democratic governor in a state where Trump twice led by more than 25 points, has no interest in the presidency, according to a person close to him who was granted anonymity to share internal discussions.
Buttigieg, who ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2017, is not considering a run, said a person close to the secretary, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about his thoughts.
And a source close to Abrams, who spoke on condition of anonymity and spoke candidly, said she was not interested in becoming chairwoman.
Martin, who had addressed all state party chairmen, deputy chairmen and managing directors the day before the election, began a novel round of temperature-taking phone calls on Friday.
“People have been coming to me about running,” Martin told the Associated Press. “I haven’t decided at this point.”
Wikler didn’t respond to questions about the office, but given Democrats’ losses across the country, he touted what he and his team accomplished in Wisconsin.
“The red wave struck this year: a 6% (tilde) statewide swing to Trump based on 2020 margins,” Wikler posted on X. “In Wisconsin, thousands of heroes lowered the swing to 1.5%. “ More D votes across the state and in 46 counties. Tammy Baldwin won. Huge victories in the state parliament.”
He added: “I’m deeply grateful to everyone – it was important.”
Blake told the Associated Press on Friday that he was “seriously” considering running.
“When we arrived eight years ago, we built something that was successful and won,” Blake said, referencing his time as vice chairman. “It is impossible to look at what happened on Tuesday and not believe that significant change is needed.” Blake, who was once a member of the New York State Assembly, also said he is opposing a run for chairman of the DNC considering a run for mayor of New York.
The power brokers
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who earlier this week criticized party leaders for abandoning the working class, is expected to play an dynamic role in the DNC’s election — at least behind the scenes. Sanders did the same after the party’s election loss in 2016, when he worked privately to boost former Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, although Ellison ultimately lost to former Labor Secretary Tom Perez.
Sanders’ allies believe the party is taking his concerns more seriously after Tuesday’s defeat.
Presidential losses regularly force parties to ask broad questions about everything from their message to their infrastructure to their core beliefs, and this loss will be no different for Democrats. After Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016, the committee was criticized as an unprofessional organization. These issues were at the heart of the committee chairmanship battle in 2017 and led to the committee being rebuilt during Trump’s first term. That has now left the party in a dilemma: The National Committee hasn’t drawn the kind of blame it did after Trump’s first loss, but that also means the answers Democrats are looking for are far less clear.
Many committee members believe this is not the time for the party to focus on a particular skill of a leader at the expense of others. Instead, this group argues, you need someone with a broad range of skills.
“It has to be someone who can raise money. It has to be someone who can communicate well. And it has to be someone who can embrace modernization,” said Maria Cardona, a longtime Democratic activist and DNC member who opposes the leader becoming a current elected official.
“Unlike Trump, we believe in the peaceful transfer of power,” Cardona said. “But we won’t give up the fight.”
