The chairman of the Democratic National Committee informed party leaders Monday that the DNC will choose his successor in February, an election that will say a lot about how the party wants to present itself during Donald Trump’s four more years in the White House.
Jaime Harrison, in a letter to members of the party’s powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee, outlined the process by which the party would elect its new president. Harrison said in the letter that the committee will hold four candidate forums — some in person and some virtually — in January, with the final elections taking place Feb. 1 at the party’s winter meeting in National Harbor, in Maryland.
The race to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee, while an insular party affair, will take place days after Trump is inaugurated for a second term. Democrats’ selection of a leader after Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat in 2024 will be a key starting point as the party begins to move forward, including tackling structural issues and determining how to oppose Trump.
Members of the Rules and Regulations Committee will meet on December 12 to establish the rules for these elections, which, beyond the position of president, will include high-level roles within the party such as vice presidents, treasurer, secretary and President of National Finance. The committee will also take advantage of this meeting to decide on the conditions required to access the ballot for these most important positions in the party. In 2021, candidates were required to submit a declaration of candidacy including the signatures of 40 DNC members, and this will likely be the same standard for the 2025 campaigns.
“The DNC is committed to transparent, fair and impartial elections for the next generation of leaders to guide the party forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “Electing the DNC chair and officers is one of the most important responsibilities of DNC members, and our staff will lead an inclusive and transparent process that will give members the opportunity to get to know the candidates as they prepare to vote.”
Two Democrats have announced their campaigns for president: Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota and vice chairman of the national party, and Martin O’Malley, former governor of Maryland and current commissioner of state administration. social security.
Other prominent Democrats are considering running to succeed Harrison or are being pushed by party members, including former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; Michael Blake, former vice-president of the party; Ben Wikler, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party; Rahm Emanuel, United States ambassador to Japan and former mayor of Chicago; Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Michigan Senate Majority Whip, and Chuck Rocha, longtime Democratic strategist.
The committee’s next chairman will be tasked with rebuilding a party demoralized by a second Trump victory. They will also oversee the party’s 2028 nomination process, a complex and controversial exercise that will place the president at the heart of the next presidential election.
Harrison, of South Carolina, made clear in his letter to the Rules Committee that the four forums hosted by the party would be broadcast live and that the party would give rank-and-file Democrats across the country the opportunity to engage in the process through these events. He also said he intended to remain neutral in the presidential election.