Frontrunners to lead DNC emerge as defeated Democrats aim to bounce back

As Republicans prepare to seize the reins of power in Washington, a low-profile race to head the Democrats’ national governing body is being flagged up as the first milestone on the party’s agonising road to electoral recovery.

Two middle-aged men from the northern midwest have been tipped as frontrunners to succeed the outgoing Jaime Harrison as chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a post from which the groundwork for the recapture of Congress and the White House is expected to be undertaken.

They are Ken Martin, 51, of Minnesota and Ben Wikler, 43, of Wisconsin, both leaders of the Democrats in their respective states. The DNC will elect its new leader on 1 February.

Neither appears to have generated widespread excitement, according to party elders, and only Wikler has attracted the endorsement of a leading Democrat. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, has thrown his support behind Wikler.

“Had Kamala [Harris] or [Joe] Biden made a call and said, ‘Look, we want to rally around X, Y and Z,’ I may have taken an interest in someone,” Donna Brazile, a veteran DNC member and previous interim party chair, told the New York Times.

“Other than giving state parties more resources, which is as old as the Republic itself, I haven’t heard anything new.”

Her comment was an apparent reference to Martin’s campaign platform of returning power to the state parties. Martin’s supporters have assailed Wikler as a representative of wealthy Democratic donors and party consultants in Washington.

Schumer has called Wikler as a “tenacious organiser”, “proven fundraiser” and “sharp communicator.

“Ben has what Democrats need right now – proven results – and that’s why I’m backing Ben,” Schumer said.

Wikler’s state, Wisconsin, was one of seven key battlegrounds that Harris narrowly lost to Trump in November’s election, despite a concerted push to capture its 10 electoral votes.

One of the new chair’s roles will be to set rules for the 2028 presidential primary contest, when the Democrats will chose a nominee to try and recapture the White House.

Martin’s campaign claims to have the endorsement of more than 100 of the DNC’s 448 members eligible to vote in the election for the next chair.

Other candidates include Martin O’Malley, a former Maryland governor, who says he has the pledged support of more than 60 members, and James Skoufis, who claims that 23 members are supporting him.

Skoufis may have undermined his chances of earning wider backing with a Christmas card greeting sent to all committee members that reportedly offended many.

“Wishing you lots of cheer this holiday season,” he wrote on the front of the card – only to undercut with a less seasonable message on the back. “Unless you’re a political consultant who’s been ripping off the DNC. Nothing but coal for them!” it read.

Other candidates in the running are Nate Snyder, a former homeland security official under Biden and Barack Obama; Marianne Williamson, several times a former presidential primary hopeful; Jason Paul, a Massachusetts lawyer; and Quintessa Hathaway, a self-described “author, educator, historian, entrepreneur and thought leader” who in 2022 contested a congressional seat in Arkansas.