5 things to watch as DNC chooses its next leader

Democrats are gathering in Maryland on Saturday to elect the next chair of their national party in one of Democrats’ first steps toward recalibrating after November’s disappointing election.

State party chairs Ken Martin of Minnesota and Ben Wikler of Wisconsin, in addition to former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, have emerged as leaders in the race to succeed DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. In all, eight contenders are running.

But the next DNC chair faces a tall task in uniting Democrats while also steering the party’s messaging on how to oppose President Trump.

Here are five things to watch for ahead of the DNC chair election:

How close is the race?

One aspect that political observers will be watching for on Saturday is how close the race will be between Martin, Wikler and O’Malley, and how many ballots the election will ultimately come to.

The race has turned into one that’s less about candidates’ ideology and more based on personality, track records and relationships. Martin has touted his track record as the Minnesota state party chair, saying his party has won every statewide election since he took the helm in 2011.

He’s also noted his role as the president of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) and enjoys endorsements from some members of its leadership, including New Hampshire state party chair Ray Buckley and Arizona party chair Yolanda Bejarano.

Meanwhile, Wikler has touted being the party chair of a battleground state and noted Wisconsin Democrats’ track record in flipping the state’s Supreme Court majority and reelecting Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) last cycle despite losing at the presidential level.

At the same time there have been discussions over Wikler’s relationship with major donors like billionaire Reid Hoffman. Both Martin and Wikler were asked about whether it was an asset or a liability to know donors like Hoffman, with Martin careful not to overtly criticize Wikler on the issue.

“I think Ben’s done an amazing job in Wisconsin. He's moved the needle,” Martin said at a candidate forum hosted by the DNC and Politico.

“Yes, at the end of the day, we need to raise money. We’ve both done that, but we also need to raise money from people who share our values. Both Ben and I do that,” he added later, noting that some state parties had concerns with a startup created during the 2020 election cycle, substantially funded by Hoffman, that Martin said tried to get state parties’ voter file data.

“When it came to Alloy, my argument has always been that state parties needed to own their data,” Wikler said at that same forum, referring to the startup.

O’Malley, meanwhile, has touted himself as someone who’s been able to turn around organizations, particularly pointing to his time as a Social Security Association administrator. He’s also a former Maryland governor and former head of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA).

How influential are leaders’ endorsements?

Several prominent Democrats have backed different candidates in the DNC chair’s race. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) have backed Wikler in the race, while Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) has thrown his weight behind Martin.

At the same time, other top Democrats have remained out of the race, particularly former President Biden and former Vice President Harris.

Though endorsements don’t necessarily translate into momentum for a candidate, they could move the needle for some undecided DNC committee members.

The teams of Wikler, Martin and O’Malley have quibbled over other each other’s number of endorsements, particularly Martin’s endorsements. Martin at one point said he had 200 endorsements from DNC committee members, while Wikler said his whip count was at 151 and that “we’re now virtually tied with Chair Martin heading into the final week.”

O’Malley’s team said earlier this month he has over 60 endorsements.

What are the newly elected DNC chair’s first steps?

The next DNC chair won’t have any shortage of tasks to tackle after getting elected this weekend.

Members of the party are looking to the next DNC leader to help unite the party and direct Democrats’ efforts on how to oppose Trump and his administration. Members of the party, too, want the next DNC chair to better invest in states across the country and to help convince donors that it’s worth investing in the party.

And while the 2028 presidential election is some time away, members of the party have already expressed their thoughts on the state of the early nominating calendar — raising questions around what the process will look like to select the early states and when that nominating schedule will be released.

What role do the other DNC chair candidates play?

After a contentious open race for the leadership post in 2017, DNC chair Tom Perez named his challenger, then-Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), as deputy DNC chair — a sign that the party could still unite and incorporate different members into leadership after a hard-fought fight.

With eight challengers running for the spot this time around, one aspect of the race to watch for will be whether any of the seven contenders not chosen for chair are offered a spot within DNC leadership.

That gesture would likely be particularly welcomed this time around, as the party has sought to pick up the pieces from a disappointing November election and has seen members finger-pointing over what went wrong.

How do progressives respond?

The 2017 open race for DNC chair between Perez and Ellison was seen in many ways as a proxy war between establishment Democrats and progressives, though candidates did see some overlap between the two sides in endorsements.

This time around, Wikler and Martin have received endorsements from some progressives. Wikler has received endorsements from MoveOn, of which he is an alum, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), among others. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is backing fellow Minnesotan, Martin.

Faiz Shakir, a former campaign manager to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson, represent the more progressive faction of the wing, though both face uphill climbs to the nomination — raising questions around how progressives might welcome Martin, Wikler or O’Malley as their next chair.

Some prominent progressives have notably not waded in to endorse a contender, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).

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