As an openly eco-fascistic Republican Party works to dismantle the democratic experiment of the United States of America, the Democratic Party is one of the last remaining bulwarks, but only if it abandons the failed tools of neoliberalism and becomes a revitalized opposition party built upon civic democratic principles, capable of regaining the mantle of the working-class party in order to win against increasingly stark odds at the local level and the national stage.

The 448-odd members of the Democratic National Committee are gathering this week at National Harbor, Maryland to elect new leadership for the Democratic Party on Saturday morning. On Thursday, the candidates will gather in person at Georgetown University for a final forum, with the DNC chair candidates running in prime time with MSNBC anchors Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders, and Jonathan Capehart.

MSNBC guest anchor Luke Russert will moderate the forum for Vice Chair of Civic Engagement and Voter Participation candidates, and Mo Elleithee, Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, a Fox News contributor and DNC at-large member, will moderate the forums for Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and National Finance Chair candidates. As a voting DNC member, Elleithee has pledged not to vote for the offices he is moderating and has avoided participating in the process (e.g. by signing nominating petitions or conversing with candidates).

After an opening reception Wednesday night, the standing committees meet Thursday morning, with council meetings in the afternoon, overlapping with the candidate forum an hour away. According to the proposed schedule, the only full open meeting of the committee will take place early Friday morning, followed by caucus and council meetings. The resolutions committee will consider submitted resolutions, and the credentials committee will recommend a determination for the status of the disputed Alabama delegation.

The order of elections on Saturday, according to the proposed rules of procedure, is: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, National Finance Chair, Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation, and the three other Vice Chairpersons, all of whom are members of the DNC executive committee. The fifth vice chair, the head of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC), will be elected at a later date.

Chair

The race to succeed Jaime Harrison as DNC chair appears to be a two-man contest between Ken and Ben.

Minnesota chair and ASDC president Ken Martin has over 150 public supporters among the membership (and claims 200), thanks to his years of hard work organizing and advocating for state parties and young Democrats to reform and strengthen the DNC along more democratic principles, inspired by his mentor Paul Wellstone. His efforts in that regard have included supporting the DNC Council on Climate and the Environmental Crisis. In Minnesota, he helped build a Democratic majority that passed a tremendously ambitious climate agenda the moment they got into power, including a transformational green bank program. His commitment to democratic organizing have earned him the support of climate hawks in the DNC like climate council chair Michelle Regalado Deatrick (Michigan), council vice chair David Green (Washington), council AAPI engagement director Howard Chou (Colorado), California climate hawk Michael Kapp, and Nebraska chair and Keystone XL killer Jane Kleeb, who is running to succeed Martin as ASDC president.

Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler has over 50 public supporters (and claims 183), thanks to his charismatic ability to fundraise and mobilize for Democrats, racking up support from outside organizations, national elected officials, and influential donors. As campaign director for Avaaz, Wikler participated in the 2009 Copenhagen climate talks, presenting the daily Fossil of the Day awards, and has long been strongly motivated to fight global warming.

Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley has 26 public supporters for his technocratic platform (and claims an incredible 137). O’Malley has long been a climate hawk.

Other candidates include progressive operative Faiz Shakir, who made a late entry into the race, racking up media appearances and interviews; Marianne Williamson, who mixes inspiring rhetoric with her grudges about the 2024 primaries; Jason Paul, unafraid to criticize corporate outlets like Politico and Mothership Strategies; Dr. Quintessa Hathaway, a strong advocate for Southern black women; and Nate Snyder, who wants Democrats to be on a war footing against disinformation.

Treasurer

The treasurer is a fiduciary officer responsible for ensuring the Federal Elections Commission campaign finance reports are complete and accurate. Currently, the treasurer is not involved in the making of the budget, and is only able to see it as part of the 11-member Budget and Finance Committee during the closed committee meetings. The DNC bylaws call for regular reports from the budget and finance committee, including an annual written report to the full DNC.

In recent presidential cycles, the percentage of campaign money controlled by the DNC has declined dramatically, as the candidate’s campaign and superPACs hold most of funds, further limiting the power of the DNC treasurer.

Incumbent treasurer Virginia McGregor, whose husband owns a family-run steel fabricator in Scranton, Pa., was appointed by President Joe Biden after being a strong Democratic fundraiser. McGregor made sure the DNC account were insured and diversified the account from one to three banks. In the most recent forum, McGregor incorrectly claimed that the bylaws do not require a written report to members.

Elected DNC member Matt Hughes is a North Carolina non-profit CEO and member of the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners who wants to introduce much greater transparency, such as making a quarterly profits and loss report available to members.

State Sen. Merika Coleman (D-Ala.) is running on the disparities in campaign spending, and wants to audit the effectiveness and equity of spending.

Secretary

The DNC Secretary is in charge of maintaining the DNC membership roll, managing convention delegate certification, and ensuring communications between members and the national office, including notice of meetings, resolutions, and bylaws amendments. The Secretary is a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Jason Rae, secretary since 2017, is very popular among DNC members for his responsiveness and advocacy on their behalf.

He is being challenged by Marilyn Davis, a Democratic operative and telecomms lobbyist and a supporter of current DNC chair Jaime Harrison (who is being assiduously impartial on all races). She worked as staff helping to manage credentials in both the 2012 and 2016 conventions.

National Finance Chair

The National Finance Chair is a member of the Budget and Finance Committee. In addition to its budgetary oversight role, the Budget and Finance Committee is traditionally a hub for high-dollar fundraising—also known as “bundling” with “major donors.”

The race for national finance chair has been shaken up by the late candidacy of Tim Lim, challenging the incumbent Chris Korge, a long-time fundraising heavyweight for the Democratic Party, including as chair of the Biden-Harris Victory Fund. Lim is a digital political strategist calling for an overhaul of the Democratic Party’s fundraising strategy. Vice finance chair Chris Lowe, a clean-energy financier with expertise in wind power, had campaigned for the top spot before endorsing Korge.

Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation

The vice chairs are members of the executive committee but otherwise do not have defined roles (One of the five vice chairs is selected by the Chair to act as Chair in case of incapacity).

The vice chair for civic engagement and voter participation is the traditionally “senior” vice chair position, established in 1988 in the wake of Jesse Jackson’s presidential run. Previous office-holders have included Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, Ron Brown, Mayor Lottie Shackelford, labor leader Jack Otero, Donna Brazile, the current (though functionally absent) office-holder Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Until 2015, the position was known as the Vice Chair for Voter Registration and Participation. Despite the title, the office does not have any specified powers or responsibilities, and the officeholder is not required to be the Chair’s deputy.

Michael Blake and Reyna Walters-Morgan are the apparently leading candidates for the number-two elected DNC officer. Rev. Blake, a Jamaican-American who worked for Barack Obama before becoming a New York assemblyman from 2015 to 2021 and DNC vice chair during the first Trump administration, speaks Spanish and is also running for mayor of New York City. Walters-Morgan is the current DNC Director of Civic Engagement and Voter Protection, overseeing programs like iwillvote.com.

Two members of Congress are running, DNC members Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) and Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.). Both have endorsed Ken Martin for chair.

The other candidates are Rosarie Tucci, DNC member State Sen. Sheikh Rahman (D-Ga.), climate activist and comedian Josh Burstein, and political strategist Jim McBride.

Vice Chairs

The election of the three remaining vice chairs is mandated by the DNC bylaws to maintain gender balance among the elected officers other than the chair.4 Losing candidates for vice chair for civic engagement and voter participation may compete for these seats as well.

In addition to the aforementioned candidates, those running include:

• The founding chair of the DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis, Michelle Regalado Deatrick, a Michigan political activist and former county commissioner;

• DC-based Jim Zogby, a supporter of the Jesse Jackson and Bernie Sanders presidential campaigns and the longtime chair of the DNC Ethnic Council. Zogby is running on a quietly radical platform of democratizing the Democratic Party, giving more power back to the elected members of the DNC;

• Washington state chair Shasti Conrad, a former Obama and Sanders campaign staffer running on her strong record of accomplishment in the state, including the defeat of Republican anti-climate initiatives in 2024;

• AFL-CIO national campaign director Artie Blanco of Nevada, a former Harry Reid staffer who worked on expanding the Latino electorate;

• Biden-Harris administration spokesman Troy Blackwell, an Afro-Puerto Rican political strategist from the Bronx;

• and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. As a candidate for statewide office, Kenyatta has highlighted his strong environmental justice record.

Several of the candidates come from Republican-dominated states:

• Kansas state chair Jeanna Repass and Wyoming state chair Joe Barbuto, both running as a voice for Democrats in rural, Republican-dominated states;

• former Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Dr. Chris Jones, a relentless organizer for Democrats in his Republican-dominated state and a science and clean tech evangelist;

• Oklahoma Choctaw DOJ attorney, former elected DA, and DNC member Kalyn Free; 

• Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mississippi director Waikinya Clanton, the former DNC director of African-American outreach;

• and gun violence activist David Hogg of Florida, who co-founded the youth candidate-recruitment organization Leaders We Deserve.

Other candidates include North Carolina political strategist Aisha Dew, and progressive activist Robert Stephens, now working for a right-wing-billionaire-backed charter-school front group.

In addition, there are two old-guard candidates:

• Rhode Island real-estate developer and former Providence mayor Joe Paolino.

• The only avowedly anti-environmental candidate is Adam Frisch, the repeated loser in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and a strong proponent of fracking.

Zogby, Conrad, Free, and Barbuto have endorsed Ken Martin for chair.