Jaime Harrison has been officially elected as the chair of the Democratic National Committee: Jaime Harrison, the former chair of the Democratic Party of South Carolina, has been officially elected as the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, winning the organization’s election after President Joe Biden nominated him for the top political job. Harrison is the first woman to hold the position.
Jaime Harrison has been officially elected as the chair of the Democratic National Committee
Harrison, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2020, will now be tasked with guiding the top committee at a time when Democrats control all three major legislative bodies in Washington, including the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Harrison previously served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“The fact that we have seen what happens when we don’t spend everywhere means that I have no intention of letting victory morph into complacency. I intend to get to work immediately in order to lift up the Biden-Harris administration, build on our successes, and strengthen our party, among other things “Harrison shared his thoughts.
Instead of acting as a voice for Democratic victories in the future years and fighting back against Republican attacks, Jaime Harrison’s duty will be to ensure that the party does not lose its majorities in the 2022 midterm elections, as was the case with his predecessor Tom Perez.
During an interview with CNN before he was officially elected chair, Harrison stated that “the work is done on Capitol Hill and in the White House; the job of making sure that message gets out and is promoted and disseminated to voters and so that those voters have an understanding of it, I believe, is the job of the DNC.” He went on to say that his duty consisted in getting “that word out” so that people “understand this is what you get when Democrats are in control of the government.”
Despite the fact that Harrison had long been considered the sole candidate for the position of DNC chair, Biden made his pick official just days before he was sworn in as president. In a virtual meeting, members of the Democratic National Committee approved Vice President Joe Biden’s slate of nominees, and the former Senate contender officially assumed the position on Thursday.
According to various Democratic sources who spoke to CNN, there was little suspense surrounding the election because the only slate of candidates submitted was the one offered by Biden’s transition team.
in his first speech to the Democratic National Convention, Harrison said, “In spite of everything we have been through in the previous year, I am excited because today we are embarking on a new mission to rebuild better and restore hope to our great nation.”
A mention of the importance of Democrats making gains into traditionally Republican states and rural America was also made by the president.
“We’ve finished looking at the map and have decided to ignore the red areas while concentrating on a few purple spots,” Harrison explained. “We’ve had enough of concentrating solely on our cities while neglecting people who live off the beaten path. When I look at the map, I see that the fate of an entire country is in question.”
The DNC will be led by Biden, and a number of high-profile Democrats, including Jaime Harrison, will assume leadership posts in the organization.
In addition to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms serving as vice-chair of civic engagement and voter protection, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and Texas Rep. Filemon Vela Jr. are all serving as vice-chairs. Virginia McGregor has been confirmed as the committee’s treasurer, while Jason Rae will remain in his position as secretary and Chris Korge will serve as the committee’s national finance chairman.
Perez will step down from his position as chairman of the Democratic National Committee after four years in the position. Former Obama Labor Secretary Hilda Solis assumed control of the committee in 2017 when it was rudderless, scandal-prone, and unable to raise significant funds after years of neglect by the Obama administration. Perez worked to rebuild the committee, focusing on two key issues: investing in the party’s infrastructure and restoring public trust in the DNC after the committee became a source of controversy during the 2016 presidential nomination fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Perez was appointed to the position in January 2016.
According to Perez, during remarks on Thursday, “we needed to rebuild our infrastructure as well as our trust, and I believe we have made significant progress in both of those areas.”
He departs from the committee in a substantially better state than when he first arrived. The Democratic National Committee assisted Biden is breaking fundraising records throughout the 2020 campaign and is now well-positioned with a robust small-dollar contributor base that was virtually non-existent four years ago.
‘To be very honest with you,” Perez told the crowd on Thursday, “we took over a Radio Shack and transformed it into a Fifth Avenue Apple store.”
Unlike the other members of the committee, Harrison will be asked to accomplish something quite different — and his ability to do so will be limited by the politics of the White House, which will have direct influence over the group. Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O’Malley Dillon, a former campaign manager for Vice President Joe Biden, will oversee the operations of the political committee, which means she will be responsible for ensuring that the political committee’s work is consistent with Biden’s political objectives. Following President Barack Obama’s election in 2008, O’Malley Dillon became the Democratic National Committee’s executive director.
Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin was re-elected as president of the Association of State Democratic Committees on Thursday, an entity inside the Democratic National Committee that coordinates with all of the state parties. Martin was first elected to the position in 2008.
After his reelection, Martin issued a statement saying, “I look forward to continuing our party’s mission of electing advocates for justice, freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all Americans.” Martin was re-elected to a second term.
Perez, a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, closed a tribute to his time in the league by joking about taking some vacation time.
His request was in reference to the Bills’ playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which will take place between 3 and 9 p.m. on Sunday, according to the statement.
