Wasserman Schultz will be the first female DNC chief in 15 years and the third in history. Wasserman Schultz to lead DNC

President Barack Obama has chosen Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the incoming chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, the party announced late Tuesday.

Wasserman Schultz, 44, was chosen for her strength as a fundraiser and as a television messenger and for her clout in the crucial swing state of Florida, the sources said.


She will succeed Tim Kaine, who announced earlier Tuesday that he will run for U.S. Senate from Virginia.

The committee announced the choice in an email to members from Vice President Joe Biden.

“In selecting Debbie to lead our party, President Obama noted her tenacity, her strength, her fighting spirit and her ability to overcome adversity,” Biden wrote.

“President Obama expressed great admiration for her as a leader, and he was honored that she accepted this important challenge on behalf of the Democratic Party.”

Wasserman Schultz becomes the first female DNC chief in 15 years and the third in history.

The congresswoman is beloved by the Democratic rank and file for her aggressive, outspoken advocacy for liberal points of view. She’s frequently deployed as a surrogate, particularly to groups of women and Jewish voters.

“Since she was first elected to Congress in 2004, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has emerged as one of the most outspoken leaders in the Democratic Party,” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement.

“A strong voice for ordinary people who didn’t cause the recession but are too often asked to pay the price, Wasserman Schultz will be a great advocate for President Obama and for Democrats across the country who are fighting to grow the economy and create jobs for middle-class families.”

Democratic consultant Karen Finney, a former DNC communications director, called Wasserman Schultz “a fantastic choice.”

“She will be great, particularly as we head into the reelect, because she is a smart, tough woman and both an effective advocate and fundraiser for the Democratic Party,” Finney said.

A four-term member from the Fort Lauderdale area, Wasserman Schultz has moved aggressively to rise in the party ranks.

The final choice came down to Wasserman Schultz and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Democratic sources said.

The choice of Wasserman Schultz over Strickland presents a party head whose strength will be in rallying the base rather than reaching out to Heartland swing voters.

It also heads off the possibility of a revolt by the party’s base over abortion issues: Wasserman Schultz is a strong supporter of abortion rights, whereas Strickland’s record on the issue is mixed.

“I love this choice,” Democratic strategist Mo Elleithee said. “Debbie is a huge rising star in the party. She’s one of the best surrogates we have, a tremendous fundraiser and organizer and has appeal with both the base and swing voters. She will be a huge asset on the campaign trail.”

Wasserman Schultz’s rise hasn’t always been smooth. Her attempt to take over as chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was stymied last year.

She’s faced personal adversity, too, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. She underwent seven operations without disclosing she was being treated even to friends until afterward, keeping up her congressional schedule all the while.

Strickland was seen as the safe pick, but some prominent Democratic women grumbled after his name was floated, suggesting that Obama needed a high-profile woman associated with his reelection bid.

Wasserman Schultz will face a challenge in juggling the DNC position with her congressional responsibilities and her own House reelection campaign.

Former DNC Chairman Don Fowler said Wasserman Schultz’s day job might mean she can’t devote “120 percent” of her time to the committee but predicted it won’t be a problem.

“She has a lot of energy and is smart as can be,” he said. “I think she clearly will be able to do both.”

Fowler called her “a strong, very bright, aggressive, talented person who has made her mark in Congress in a few short years like almost nobody else has done.”

In 2010, she raised nearly $2 million, easily winning reelection in her strongly Democratic district with 60 percent of the vote. She ended the cycle with $420,000 in her campaign account.

Democratic insiders said she was passed over for the DCCC position because of a split with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Still, she was one of the congressional committee’s top fundraisers, bringing in more than $5 million.

One of her strengths, a Democratic strategist said, is that “she’s very loyal” — a quality prized by the Obama White House and the campaign constellation.

The strategist noted that Wasserman Schultz supported Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.

“She fought to the bitter end for Sen. Clinton,” the strategist said. “And then, once it was clear that Sen. Obama was the nominee, she was out there advocating for him as aggressively as anyone else.”

Jonathan Martin contributed to this report.