Jockeying to lead the Democratic National Committee under a potential President Hillary Clinton has kicked into high gear, with a trio of House members joining a growing list of potential contenders.

Rep. Keith Ellison, an early Bernie Sanders supporter and the first Muslim elected to Congress, has been actively working back channels to make his interest in the position known. Also in the mix are Rep. Xavier Becerra, the outgoing House Democratic Caucus chairman and an aggressive Clinton surrogate; and retiring Rep. Steve Israel, who led House Democrats' campaign arm for years.


The House members would probably be underdogs to take the helm of the DNC, which has been wracked by controversy and upheaval. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s (D-Fla.) tumultuous stint atop the committee could spook Clinton, assuming she wins, from appointing another House member, Democratic insiders said.

The early front-runners for the post are believed to be former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison. All have ties to Clinton and her campaign.

Other names mentioned are former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, former DNC CEO Minyon Moore, a confidante to Clinton, and EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock.

Whoever lands the job isn't likely to have much autonomy: Assuming Clinton wins, the DNC will operate as a subsidiary of the White House.

"I thought it was a great job myself," said Howard Dean, who was DNC chair during George W. Bush's second term. "I only had to answer to myself and the DNC. It's a much tougher job when you have the White House."

The maneuvering comes at a precarious time for the DNC. Sanders supporters are still seething over hacked emails that fueled their suspicions the national committee was in the tank for Clinton. Healing those wounds will be a huge challenge for the party establishment, and especially Clinton, if she prevails against Donald Trump.

Democratic brass also wants to realign the committee's priorities. Interim Chair Donna Brazile — as well as other party leaders — want to amp up its fundraising as well as bolster efforts to rebuild a depleted Democratic bench. Brazile stepped in after Wasserman Schultz resigned in late-July, but has said she doesn’t want the job after the election.

Some House members see the DNC perch as an attractive leadership option that doesn’t require your last name to be Pelosi or Hoyer. It’s understandable, given how few opportunities there are to ascend the leadership ranks of House Democrats.

“Currently, the House has pretty well-established leaders at the top and a seniority system in committees that frankly don’t allow for a ton of movement for members,” Democratic strategist C.R. Wooters, a former DNC staffer and ex-chief of staff to multiple House Democrats, said of why the House lawmakers might be interested.

As Minority Leader and Whip respectively, Nancy Pelosi of California and Steny Hoyer of Maryland have been the face of House Democrats for more than a decade, creating a bottleneck for younger, ambitious members who either see little opportunity for advancement in the near future or hit a ceiling in lower-rung leadership positions and have nowhere else to go.

Ellison (D-Minn.) is the House member who's been making the most overt play for the job, reaching out to state party chairs, Clinton campaign officials and Democrats connected to the committee.

Ellison, a Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair, was one of the few members of Congress to back Sanders. Still, the congressman wasn't a vocal critic of Clinton during the primary, and he switched his endorsement to the former Secretary of State weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, even as other Sanders supporters stuck with the Vermont senator.

Some top Democrats don't want the next chair to be a white man, which could give the the Minnesota congressman, who is African-American, a leg up. Ellison has spoken out against Trump's proposed ban on Muslim immigrants, at one point quipping that Muslims who back the real estate magnate are "chickens for Col. Sanders."

"I can't think of anyone who could be better from a progressive standpoint to try and reform the things that have been wrong with the DNC than one of Bernie Sanders' top allies, a guy like Keith Ellison," said Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh, who advised Sanders during his presidential run.

Becerra (D-Calif.) could be another attractive choice. He’s term-limited in his current post and hasn’t been shy about looking for other opportunities. Earlier this year, Becerra was floated as a potential running mate for Clinton.

He also checks several boxes — he's a proven fundraiser, is good on TV and, as one Democratic strategist noted, "We’ve never had a Hispanic leader of the party and it would be a good signal to send.”

But Becerra faces the same challenge as Ellison: there’s just not much appetite to bring on another sitting member of Congress.

Heading the national committee is a full-time commitment, and Wasserman Schultz faced criticism about her ability to juggle what’s best for the DNC, the demands of her south Florida district and her own political interests.

She even had to fend off a competitive primary challenger— her first ever —after taking positions in favor of the Iran nuclear deal and trade that were in line with her role at the DNC but didn’t sit well with some Jewish voters and progressives in her district.

“Any member has to understand they’re surrendering their voting card to the White House,” said a senior Democratic House aide.

Israel (D-N.Y.) might have an advantage in that respect, given that he's retiring. A Clinton and Pelosi ally, he's a moderate with years of experience messaging and fundraising under his belt. He led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for two, two-year election cycles ending in 2015.

“The obvious thing that stands out to me is that he chaired the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] for four years which gives him the fundraising prowess that’s needed,” said one Democrat familiar with the DNC responsibilities. “The other thing is that we’re going into a midterm and they require more granular skill than presidential years.”

But Israel’s DCCC tenure was not without controversy. He alienated some members of the Congressional Black Caucus when he said Democrats could win back the House in 2011 without the CBC.

And he told a New York radio station this year that one of his reasons for leaving Congress was that he’s sick of fundraising — calling it a “relentless regimen.” Bringing in donor dollars, of course, is a huge part of the DNC chairman's job.

Becerra, Ellison, and Israel all declined to be interviewed for this story.

Someone like Granholm, many Democratic officials say, would have a much easier time being selected than a House member.

"She would be extraordinarily popular, I think, with the delegates, with the DNC members," said fellow Democratic state party Chairman Phil Bartlett of Maine.