The battle over who will lead the Democrats through the incoming Trump administration as the party’s next chair is being described as a "pivotal moment” that will come with “significant consequences," according to a new report.
It will also offer some of the "first clues about how the Democratic Party intends to emerge from the wilderness and regain power in the midterms,” Politico reported Tuesday night, which added that the sometimes little-watched contest “has become an urgent battle for the direction of the party in the aftermath of last week’s election.”
Not only is the next party head in charge of traditional tasks like setting the next presidential primary calendar, debate schedule, and criteria for who makes the 2028 debate stage, but as Politico noted, they will also face a set of massive challenges in the new Trump era – “from fundraising to grappling with a fragmented media environment to, some Democrats said, reconstructing the party from the bottom up.”
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“This is a pivotal moment that will show us whether the party has learned its lessons or not, and we’ll know what direction it’s going based on who it selects as its chair,” Democratic strategist Jennifer Holdsworth told Politico.
The publication reported that Democrats being floated as potential candidates include: Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, among others.
Current DNC Chair Jaime Harrison is not expected to seek reelection.
