Why I Back Keith — and Liz, Michael, Maria Elena, Karen, Jason, Bill, and Henry
The Democratic Party is one of the greatest forces for good in the world. (Not just the country — the WORLD.) I’m proud to be a leader in this Party and to invest time and my limited resources into ensuring its success.
I am especially proud that we have such top-notch leaders running for various offices in the DNC. If I were on the DNC, it would’ve been very difficult to select just a few people to get my votes for various offices. But after much thought about the future of our Party, here are the candidates for whom I encourage DNC members to vote on Saturday. (Note: These are my own opinions and do not reflect the views of anyone with whom I’m affiliated.)
Chair: I reject that notion that Perez is the “Hillary candidate” while Ellison is the “Bernie candidate.” I voted for Hillary in the primary; however, I support Keith Ellison for several reasons.
- He would do an excellent job at the Chair’s most important responsibility — fundraising — in part because of the respect he has earned from the grassroots.
- Electing a Bernie endorser would send a positive signal to those who voted for Bernie — particularly those who felt dismayed about the DNC.
- Both grassroots activists and institutional players (such as Senate Leader Schumer) support him. That’s pretty remarkable.
- His platform is the most comprehensive I’ve seen.
- His track record of getting out the vote in his Minnesota district speaks for itself.
- He has pledged to serve full-time, leaving Congress.
- In the age of Trump, electing a black Muslim as Chair would send a strong message that our Party’s values are America’s values.
Vice Chair, Civic Engagement and Voter Participation: Karen Carter Peterson’s background as a party leader — including her party’s win in the 2015 Louisiana governor’s race — stands out. I do like Chris Reeves’s ideas and Yasmine Taeb’s passion, however. DNC members can’t go wrong with any of them.
Vice Chair-at-Large: This one’s a little bit different. The exact number of male Vice Chairs and female Vice Chairs to be elected will depend, in part, on the number of each gender elected to other offices. (The seven officers besides Chair and the ASDC President, who is separately elected, must include 4 women and 3 men or vice versa, unless a gender-nonconforming candidate runs.)
With that said, here’s my ranking of some of the major candidates:
- Liz Jaff has that rare combination of passion and knowledge to make her a great addition to the DNC’s leadership. She’s perhaps the most impressive candidate running for any DNC office (and that’s saying something).
- Michael Blake has a feel for the needs of both activists and Democratic voters.
- Maria Elena Durazo is a top-notch labor leader.
- Latoia Jones offers both a passion and a solid plan for moving forward.
- Grace Meng is an incumbent Vice Chair.
- Rick Palacio’s record of success as Colorado Democratic Chair has been remarkable — even in bad years for Democrats.
- Adam Parkhomenko is an experienced organizer and fundraiser.
- Mitch Cesar would add to the leadership team the perspective of a local Party leader, as the former chair of the Broward County Democratic Party.
Secretary: Jason Rae’s ideas about transparency are impressive. Electing him would also ensure that the Midwest, LGBT community, and millennials are all represented on the leadership team.
Treasurer: Bill Derrough has the strongest credentials for this important job.
National Finance Chair: Henry Muñoz seems to be unopposed. Which is good.
No matter which candidates win, here’s hoping that all of their supporters continue to be engaged in our party going forward. Only then can we renew our Party and, then, our nation.
