Who’s next for DNC chair?
Now that Democrats face four year of an administration bent on destroying the greatness their Lord Trump claims he wants to restore, they can don sackcloth and ashes or elect a someone to lead the DNC who knows how to lead, how to raise money, and how to organize at the grassroots.
Politico this week reported the fight for the future has begun:
When rumors began swirling that Wisconsin Democratic Party leader Ben Wikler might run for chair of the national party, Jeff Weaver, a prominent progressive strategist, texted him with a warning.
“I am letting you know that in advance I will be publicly and actively opposing any effort to elevate you to DNC chair,” he wrote.
Only one week after losing the White House, the battle for the next chair of the Democratic National Committee is underway — with members of the party’s political class boosting their favorite potential candidates for the job on social media and knifing their opponents behind the scenes.
Isn’t that nice?
It’s a fight with significant consequences for Democrats. What is sometimes a little-noticed contest over who is best connected to DNC insiders has become an urgent battle for the direction of the party in the aftermath of last week’s election. The next DNC chair will also be tasked with helping determine the next presidential primary calendar, debate schedule and who makes the 2028 debate stage in what could be the biggest and most unwieldy Democratic primary in history.
[…]
Democrats are floating numerous names as potential candidates: Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, California Sen. Laphonza Butler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, ex-White House infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and Wikler, to name a few. (Jaime Harrison, who is currently DNC chair, is expected to not seek reelection.)
You read that right, progressives: Rahm &%*$# Emanuel. I’d consider two or three of the others.
The Hill is already promoting Emanuel:
Democratic strategist David Axelrod is pushing for U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel to become the new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
“If they said, ‘Well, what should we do? Who should lead the party?’ I would take Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, and I would bring him back from Japan and I would appoint him chairman of the Democratic National Committee,” Axelrod said Tuesday on his podcast “Hacks on Tap.”
Wisconsin Public Radio profiles local hero, WisDems Chair Ben Wikler:
He’s made his name in national circles by helping to transform the Wisconsin Democratic party into a campaign powerhouse, helping to solidify President Joe Biden’s win in 2020 and Gov. Tony Evers’ 2022 reelection, and to flip the state Supreme Court in 2023 to a liberal majority with the election of Judge Janet Protasiewicz. Her win was supported, in part, by a $10 million from the state Democratic Party.
[…]
After last week’s electoral rout, Wikler pointed to Wisconsin’s narrower margin of loss compared to other swing states as a sign of relative organizational strength.
And throughout this election cycle, he received acclaim from national Democratic leaders. At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, a series of guests at Wisconsin’s delegation breakfasts heaped praise on Wikler.
“You know that ‘Big Ben’ is recognized nationally as a preeminent state party chair,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. “His reputation is a great one.”
“This guy is one of the best chairs of a state party — not just today, but ever,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Emanuel’s become proficient with chopsticks, I hear.