I am the person referenced in the Feb. 12 news article “DNC chair hopefuls adopt ‘resistance’ ” as having “hounded” Thomas Perez, the establishment candidate for Democratic National Committee chairman. I did hound Mr. Perez, who said recently, “We heard loudly and clearly yesterday from Bernie [Sanders] supporters that the process was rigged, and it was. And you’ve got to be honest about it. That’s why we need a chair who is transparent.”

Hearts around the country swelled to hear such honesty. They were quickly disappointed. Hours later, Mr. Perez contradicted himself, saying on Twitter that he misspoke.

I asked Mr. Perez directly for an honest answer: “Was the Democrat primary election rigged or not?” He blanched momentarily and then said, “Well, that is why we need someone as chair who will be transparent.”

We can bring about party unity only if we have a leader we trust.

George Ripley, Washington

The Feb. 12 front-page article “Democrats seek to convert activism into a movement” noted that the Democratic Party lacks “a coherent economic message.” This has been a problem since at least the early 1990s. While most Democratic politicians during this period, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have been reasonably broad-minded when confronted with social-justice issues, they have been locked in internecine battles over free trade and deregulation and how best to respond to the concerns of labor unions.

Unfortunately, this ongoing struggle makes it nearly impossible for Democrats to unify in support of a cogent economic platform. Most Democratic voters — as well as many independents and even some Republicans — oppose the free trade deals and support a living wage. They also back protections for small businesses and independent operators in their life-and-death combat against big-box stores and Internet retailers. But affluent Democrats, who are organized in opposition to the rank and file, bankroll many grateful candidates. Accordingly, these donors hold much greater influence over the party’s direction than their numbers alone would warrant.

The party’s internal conflicts will continue unless it can replicate Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) success in raising sufficient funds to compete without solicitations to big money. Until that time, Democratic victories are likely to be small-bore and short-lived, and the party will not regain its mid-20th-century ascendancy.

Hal Ginsberg, Kensington