Harrison chosen as Biden’s DNC chair

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Harrison chosen as Biden’s DNC chair

For state occasion officers, lots of whom proceed to harbor resentment over the DNC’s diminishment in the course of the Barack Obama administratio



For state occasion officers, lots of whom proceed to harbor resentment over the DNC’s diminishment in the course of the Barack Obama administration, the choice of Harrison got here as a aid.

About 70 state occasion chairs and vice chairs despatched a letter to Biden’s transition crew in November that, whereas not naming him, listed a collection of qualities that each one “matched Jaime’s resume and expertise,” as considered one of them put it.

These occasion chiefs view Harrison as considered one of their very own, a former state committee chair who will lead a decentralized DNC and advocate for plowing cash into organizing on the state degree — a departure, they hope, from how the occasion was managed underneath Obama.

Harrison’s decide was one thing of a foregone conclusion, with DNC members viewing him because the frontrunner for months and no viable challenger rising.

His ascension to the highest of the DNC is an indication of the rising clout of the South within the Democratic Get together, which is prone to broaden additional after the Georgia elections of Sens.-elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.

But it surely’s additionally an indication of the affect wielded by Clyburn, a South Carolina congressman and high Biden ally who helped revive the president-elect’s 2020 marketing campaign by endorsing him earlier than his state’s major.

Clyburn pushed for Harrison each publicly and behind the scenes, together with by talking to Biden concerning the place. Harrison beforehand was a staffer for Clyburn.

Biden and his crew had been exceedingly shut with the DNC throughout his presidential run, with staffers in each operations becoming a member of one another’s convention calls and their respective management steadily coordinating on area troops and messaging.

“Jaime will guarantee all 57 state events and territories have the funding we have to not solely win elections however to additionally construct up the infrastructure we have to set up year-round,” mentioned Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Get together. “We can’t afford to be a celebration that parachutes in sources on the final minute.”

Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington Democratic Get together, mentioned “all of us are excited” about Harrison and as “a former state occasion chair, he clearly understands the problems that we have to take care of.”

DNC members will vote for his or her chair and the opposite positions between Jan. 18 and Jan. 21 on an digital poll as a consequence of issues about Covid-19. When Democrats win the White Home, this vote is often a formality that ratifies the president-elect’s decisions.

One of many challenges dealing with the occasion within the years forward will likely be elevating cash with out President Donald Trump in workplace to mobilize donors. Harrison, who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) final yr, has proven a knack for fundraising. Throughout his Senate run, he introduced in $131 million, a document for a candidate for the chamber.

However some Democrats have questioned whether or not his means to reap massive sums whereas operating in opposition to a number one boogeyman on the left will translate to fundraising for the DNC. Democrats may also face an uphill battle within the 2022 elections, when the occasion that controls the White Home sometimes suffers losses.

“In fact we need to assist President Biden, however the Home and Senate and the governors races in 2022 are going to be the key focus of the DNC,” mentioned Carol Fowler, a longtime Democratic official in South Carolina who’s shut with Harrison, acknowledging the fundraising challenges for the occasion in energy. “Jamie can do it. He can get it completed. These of us who know him know he’ll be an distinctive chief and his focus will likely be on these races.”



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