1.21.2021 – Members of the Democratic National Committee met virtually to approve President Joe Biden’s slate of nominees for the new DNC Leadership Team. Former South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison was elected as DNC Chairman.
DNC OFFICERS
- Jaime Harrison – DNC Chair
- As the son of a single teenage mom, Jaime Harrison was raised by his grandparents in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Jaime knows what it’s like for a family to have to choose between paying the electric bill and putting food on the table, and what it feels like to go to sleep in a home with no heat, because the power was shut off.But thanks to a good public school education, the love of his family, and the support of his community, Jaime was able to earn a scholarship to Yale University and attend Georgetown Law. After college, Jaime came back home to Orangeburg to teach at his old high school, then worked to help empower disadvantaged kids to attend college. Jaime also served as an aide to legendary South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn. In 2013, Jaime was elected the first African American chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, a position he held until 2017, when he was appointed by DNC Chair Tom Perez as an Associate Chair of the DNC. In 2020, Jaime ran for the U.S. Senate from South Carolina, building a national grassroots movement and setting a fundraising record for the most raised by a Senate candidate. Jaime and his wife Marie live in Columbia, South Carolina, where they raise their two young sons.
- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms – DNC Vice Chair, Civic Engagement and Voter Protection
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer – DNC Vice Chair
- Senator Tammy Duckworth – DNC Vice Chair
- Congressman Cedric Richmond – DNC Senior Advisor
- Ken Martin – ASDC Chair, DNC Vice Chair
- Jason Rae – DNC Secretary
- Virginia McGregor – DNC Treasurer
- Chris Korge – DNC Finance Chair
- Senator Chuck Schumer – Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate
- Congressman Hakeem Jeffries – Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives
Articles:
- Jaime Harrison officially elected Democratic National Chair | CNN | 1.21.2021
- Former South Carolina Senate Candidate Jaime Harrison elected DNC Chair | CBS News | 1.21.2021
- Democrats formally elect Harrison as new DNC Chair | The Hill | 1.21.2021
Most of the selection process for Chair and every other officer position is laid out in the Charter and Bylaws, the constitution of the Democratic Party. Here’s what the Charter and Bylaws call for:
Who Votes:
It’s helpful to remember that the DNC is a committee made up of voting committee members. There are about 447 members on the national committee, and they’ll be the Democratic leaders selecting our next Chair. These are people elected by your community to represent you: Most states elect their DNC members at the same time as presidential nominating convention delegates. State party chairs and vice chairs are also voting DNC members, as are representative officials from various levels of elected office, Democratic organizations, and constituency groups. Members will be voting on candidates for Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, National Finance Chair and Treasurer.
When They Vote:
The Charter and Bylaws call for DNC officer elections at the DNC meeting after a presidential election, which must be held before March 1 of the following year.