Ellison was one of the first to announce his campaign to chair the party and quickly picked up powerful endorsements, including from U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer. Since the November campaign launch - he had been quietly preparing for quite a while - the race has grown.

Eight candidates are vying to lead the Democrats. Among them: Tom Perez, a former secretary of labor under President Barack Obama. Perez has garnered support from key Obama backers and is considered a strong rival to Ellison's bid.

The other candidates include Jehmu Greene of Texas, who has served president of Rock the Vote; Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind.; Jamie Harrison, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party; Sally Boynton Brown of Idaho, president of the Association of State Democratic Party Executive Directors; Peter Peckarsky, an attorney from Wisconsin; and Samuel Ronan, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Ohio.

At the Democratic National Convention Winter Meeting, about 450 Democrats - activists and party officers from across the nation - will decide whose message best suits the parties needs. All the candidates for Democratic National Committee chair have claimed they can lift the party - with organizing, fundraising and strategy.

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The Saturday vote at the DNC meeting comes at a crucial time for Democrats. Republicans have seized majority control of the U.S. Congress, the presidency and many state Capitols - half of the states have complete Republican control, while only five states boost Democratic dominance.

In his campaign for chair, Ellison has said Democrats need to do a better job of speaking to and representing working people. The path back to power, he said on the Daily Show this month, is to "be fierce fighters on behalf of working people, every single day."

Who is Keith Ellison?

• He is a Detroit native who attended the city's Wayne State University. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1990 and stayed in Minnesota to practice law.

• He was elected to the Minnesota House in 2002 and served for two terms. He quickly rose as an outspoken advocate for progressive issues that connected with his liberal, racially diverse Minneapolis district.

• Ellison is experienced in battling for Democratic support. Although he has easily been re-elected to Congress, in 2006 he was among a host of candidates vying for the party's endorsement for the seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo. Even after winning the endorsement, Ellison faced a crowded primary for the seat. He won the primary and then the November 2006 general election with 56 percent of the vote.

• When elected to the U.S. House, he was its first Muslim-American member. That has garnered him welcome and unwelcome attention, as critics have explored his past allegiance with the Nation of Islam and its anti-Semitic beliefs. That history, and more recent actions, have caused him to fight back against claims he is anti-Semitic or anti-Israel in his campaign for DNC chair.

• In Congress, he has not been considered one of the most effective members in terms of bills passed into law. But he has given voice to the most liberal interests, has been a frequent guest on national television programs and has been picked as a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

• Although he has a safe Democratic seat in Congress, he has been a significant campaign fundraiser. "Basically, we put it into promoting turnout in the district and helping other candidates who have progressive values win," Ellison has said. Much of his cash has been spent on staff, consultants and donations to party groups.

• During his campaign, he has emphasized his work to promote turnout in the 5th Congressional District. Although turnout has increased since he has been in office in the district in presidential years, it has not gone up in non-presidential, off-year elections. The 5th District was last in the number of people voting compared to other Minnesota districts in 2006 and 2010 and was seventh in raw number of voters in 2014.

• When Ellison first announced he would run for DNC chair, he demurred when asked if he would give up his seat in Congress if he won; he later said he would. That has set off a series of announcements from state lawmakers from Minneapolis saying they would run for his seat if he vacated it.

The Pioneer Press is a Forum News Service media partner.