Story highlights Perez is the first serious challenger to square off with Rep. Keith Ellison

People close to Perez say he wants to help rebuild the shell-shocked party

Washington (CNN) Labor Secretary Tom Perez, a Democrat with close ties to the Obama administration's political infrastructure, announced a bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday, telling party leaders on a call that he was ready to reshape the "Washington-centric" organization.

Perez cast himself as someone ready and willing to listen to the concerns people have with the beleaguered DNC, an organization at a low point after Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump last month. Perez, a native of Buffalo, New York, acknowledged the loss to Trump had not been easy for Democrats but in a letter posted to his new website, he wrote, "now isn't the time to despair -- it's time to organize and fight."

"I am in this race because I really believe this is one of those 'where were you' moments in our nation's journey to form a more perfect union," Perez said. "I am running for chair because I think the Democratic Party is absolutely indispensable to making sure our nation's promise of opportunity and inclusion for everyone is a reality for everyone."

Perez said the DNC has failed to be a "year-round operation" and no longer listens to state-based organizers. He said his DNC would be "very much grassroots" and "bottom up," labeling the recent DNC as too "Washington centric."

"We got our ass kicked in a lot of these rural pockets because we weren't there in sufficient force," Perez said of the 2016 race. "We've got to make sure we don't ignore rural America, because we do it at our peril."

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