SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Four candidates are vying to be the next head of the Democratic National Committee, hoping to energize a party that has been depressed by a second defeat to President-elect Donald Trump.
As the party deals with the 2024 election, in which Trump won support from almost every demographic category in a resounding rejection of the ruling party, others might still enter the race. On February 1, the approximately 450 members of the committee will choose a replacement for outgoing chairperson Jamie Harrison.
During their public and private presentations at a conference of state Democratic chairs in Scottsdale, Arizona, this week, the four announced contenders spoke to The Associated Press. A selection of their answers is shown here.
Was Joe Biden right to go earlier?
In addition to being accused of not providing Vice President Kamala Harris enough opportunity to set herself apart from Trump, the 82-year-old incumbent has come under fire for running for reelection at a time when many Americans were worried about his advanced age.
Ken Martin, DNC vice chair and Democratic chairman in Minnesota: It seems like an academic exercise to me. The past cannot be altered. Therefore, for us, it truly comes down to what lessons we can learn today that will help us in the future.
Former Maryland governor and Social Security administrator Martin O. Malley: I’m not sure. I will not participate in this D.C. parlor game that you people are playing on me. Apologies.
Senator James SKOUFIS of New York: Indeed. A runway that was 107 days long created a particularly challenging situation. Furthermore, the majority of Democrats at the time understood that President Biden was not in a good position to seek reelection. And it’s okay if quitting earlier would have resulted in a primary. I have no doubt that if there had been a primary, Vice President Harris would still have been the front-runner. With that longer runway, she would have been a more formidable candidate.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party’s chair, Ben Wikler: “Unite, fight, win” is my campaign motto. And for me, coming together entails facing how we might change to perform better rather than blaming one another for previous transgressions. In order to develop the new capabilities that will enable us to win the lessons that were unattainable in 2024 and the previous few years, my concentration is on learning every lesson that we can use throughout the course of the next four years and beyond.
Did Kamala Harris pursue Republican votes and spend too much time with Liz Cheney?
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and other progressives contended both before and after the election that Harris ought to have directed more of his attention toward working-class voters and less toward Republicans and conservative supporters who were fed up with Trump.
Martin: Was there anything that the election taught us? Yes. We will need to investigate all of that. Making sure that we are competing in all areas and reaching out to all voters is something that I believe is crucial. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we should spend a lot of time interacting with Republican voters. But in order to truly make an impact on independent voters, we must make sure that we are expanding beyond our comfort zone and base.
O’MALLEY: I’m not sure. I won’t question that; that’s just another parlor game thing. Based on my conversations with folks around the nation, I can say with certainty that there is a fairly broad perception that Americans’ main concerns in this election were economic worries about the future. Fear of what is ahead. Fear that they wouldn’t be able to support themselves by their own efforts. We also neglected to address their financial worries.
SKOUFIS: I think that spending time and going on the stump with Liz Cheney and other Republicans who were dissatisfied with the Trump administration was the appropriate thing to do. I firmly believe that was the correct course of action. In a similar vein, we must do more to repair the fraying borders of our tent on the left. They are not exclusive of one another.
WIKLER: In my state, the suburban counties visited by Liz Cheney and Kamala Harris had an increase in the Democratic Party’s vote share compared to 2020. In the 2020 election, Harris outperformed Biden in the counties surrounding suburban Milwaukee. Additionally, I believe that several normally Republican voters made a last-minute decision after realizing that they could support a Democrat this year. However, there are a lot of working-class people who missed our message and who we need to reach in other ways. These people frequently don’t rely on knowing political personalities who are prominent in cable news but don’t actually exist in people’s lives. And I believe the next major thing we need to work on is figuring out how to reach those people.
In what ways do Democrats outperform Latino voters, especially Latino men?
According to AP VoteCast data, Trump made significant gains with Hispanic voters, particularly men, while Harris gained support from Latino voters overall.
Martin: Right now, every hot take we see is utterly worthless. Since it isn’t supported by any research, it is simply hogwash. The amount of money spent on advertising to target the Latino guy is unknown. The nature of the field and outreach initiatives is unknown to us. We have no idea which universes we were targeting or how we were communicating with the Latino population. How did those universes get treated? You mean all those pieces? Which groups were in charge of organizing and enlisting the Latino community—especially the Latino men—? To truly determine what we did, where the gaps were, and how we fell, all of it must be discussed. The prescription can then be applied.
O MALLEY: I know I’ve said it before, but I firmly think it’s the economic problems. Living salaries, union jobs, and equal opportunities are all part of it. Too many people believed that defending America and democracy equated to maintaining the current quo.
SKOUFIS: It appears, I believe. We must cease using too scholarly language. Young voters, in particular, occasionally look at us and believe that we would be better suited running for a tiny liberal arts college chancellorship than for public office.
WIKLER: The majority of Black, White, and Latino voters are working-class people who care about a wide range of concerns. The fundamental matter of whether you can provide a roof over your head, food on your table, and clothing for your children to go to school, however, takes precedence over all of those concerns. Democratic candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate our support for individuals who work.
In 2028, would you be in favor of making Iowa and New Hampshire the initial states again?
The DNC at Biden s behestmade South Carolinathe first primary state this year, angering New Hampshire Democratswho went aheadwith their primary anyway.
MARTIN: In my opinion, it is crucial to ensure that the process is open and transparent, that all states that wish to participate have a chance to be taken into consideration, and that the final calendar we create not only honors some of our Democratic Party’s traditions and reflects the great diversity of this nation, but also—and perhaps most importantly—puts us in a position to win by having a thorough and effective process that puts our nominee to the test.
O MALLEY: That will be a decision for the DNC to make in an open and transparent process. For a period.
SKOUFIS: I m willing to bet I m the only DNC chair candidate that will give you a straightforward answer on this one. Whether people like the change or not, South Carolina was moved to pole position in the presidential nominating contests. I believe they deserve to have at least a first crack at a competitive primary.Dean Phillipsversus Joe Biden was not a serious primary. And so I think they deserve to have a chance at a serious open primary, which will certainly happen in 2028. And then only after then we can evaluate how it went and whether we should reevaluate the order.
WIKLER: My view is that the nominating calendar should serve the goal of finding the nominee who s going to win the general election. And we do that through a process that honors our coalition, that honors our traditions, and gives every candidate a fighting chance to be heard and make their case to become the next nominee.
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