Dem
47
GOP
53
The Democrats are leaderless. No one really speaks for them. The nominal leader of the party when it doesn't control the White House or either chamber of Congress is the chair of the DNC. On Saturday, the DNC will elect a new chair to replace outgoing occupant of that position, Jaime Harrison.
The election is important because the Democrats are semi-adrift and don't know what to do. They are hoping the new chair will help cheer them up and pull them out of their rut. Actually, they should not be in such a deep depression in the first place. Kamala Harris jumped into the presidential race at the last minute, raised a billion dollars, and lost by only 1.5 points in a tough environment, saddled down by a president who was way beyond his best-by date. Democrats did lose four seats in the Senate, but three were in deep red states where they were going to lose eventually anyway. Only Pennsylvania was unexpected. And in the House, they picked up a seat. It was really not the end of the world.
Technically, eight people have filed to be the new DNC chair, but candidates like Marianne Williamson and Bernie Sanders' campaign chief, Faiz Shakir, are the longest of longshots at best, The main candidates are the chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Ken Martin, and the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Ben Wikler. Both are relatively low profile, which might be what the party needs right now. Also, neither one is a radical calling for major change. The big questions in the election revolve around money, strategy, and diversity.
Both Martin and Wikler are well-known and well-liked by the 448 voting members of the DNC. One insider said: "The party leadership wants a nerd." Maybe that isn't so bad though. If Trump acts like a crazy man, a calm, reassuring young Midwesterner who talks kitchen table issues that people understand, might not be so bad. The contrast could make the Democrats look like the adults in the room.
One thing that the new leader is going to have to deal with, though, is the erosion of support among young Black men, young Latino men, and working-class men of all ages. As a consequence, the Democratic presidential candidate lost the popular vote for the first time in 20 years. Maybe that is due to their running a Black woman (a message the Democrats absolutely do not want to hear). Maybe Donald Trump will be so unpopular that in 2028, almost any white male governor or senator could win.
Speaking of 2028, one of the things that the DNC will have to deal with within a couple of years is the primary process. It didn't matter much in 2024 because there wasn't one, but in 2028 there will probably be 20 candidates and the DNC will have to manage that. Who gets to debate? How many debates will there be and in what format? What states will get to go first in the process. Historically, Iowa and New Hampshire went first, but they do not represent the demographics of the Democratic Party well, so the DNC changed the rules. Only New Hampshire didn't go along with it and probably won't in 2028. That is something the DNC will have to deal with. The Republicans will undoubtedly let Iowa go first followed by New Hampshire. How will the new chair deal with this?
One of the DNC chair's responsibilities is fundraising. The easiest way to raise a lot of money fast is to get cozy with a bunch of Democratic billionaires. They definitely exist. But some Democrats don't want to get cozy with billionaires, not even their own ones. How will the new chairman deal with this?
Another issue is diversity. Since 2011, the DNC has been led by a woman or a person of color. It has produced mixed results. It has escaped no one that white, working-class men have left the party in droves. Is putting a woman of color in charge going to fix that? It appears the DNC doesn't think so, which is why two white men, Wikler and Martin, are the leading candidates. Can they bring white working-class men back into the fold? Maybe by being boring and talking about kitchen-table issues they can. (V)