The establishment wing of the California Democratic Party, propelled by an aggressive push from elected officials and organized labor, scored a decisive victory when Los Angeles labor leader Rusty Hicks won the party chair position, holding off an insurgent drive from Richmond activist Kimberly Ellis.

Hicks received 57% of the vote to Ellis’ 36% on Saturday among delegates casting ballots at the state party’s convention in San Francisco.

Expecting to be at work Sunday morning, when a runoff would have been held, Hicks had set up a campaign headquarters in a ballroom at the W Hotel. It turned into the site of his victory party Saturday night after he won a clear majority. Union members, state lawmakers and several members of Congress stopped by to congratulate Hicks, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

“It’s going to take someone like a Rusty Hicks to kick Donald Trump’s ass,” Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Los Angeles, told the crowd. “This man is going to be the glue that cements the Democrats together.”

Hicks, 39, said he was “reporting for duty” and would work to unify the party, which has been shaken by a sexual harassment scandal and two divisive chair elections in the past two years.

“Coming out of the labor movement, I believe in the collective,” he said.

Democrats were not supposed to be picking a new chair at this convention. But former chair Eric Bauman resigned in November amid allegations of crude sexual remarks and unwanted touching by members of his staff. At least three lawsuits have been filed against Bauman and the party, for how it handled the case.

Hicks supporters, particularly party leaders, hope he will be a stabilizing force and allow Democrats to build on their 2018 electoral victories.

“He’s been in the trenches, so he knows how to win,” said Matt Bell, executive vice president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 423 in Orange County.

Hicks will serve out Bauman’s term, which runs until 2021.

Ellis, who rallied disenchanted Bernie Sanders supporters and other progressives to nearly capture the chair’s job in 2017, was running for a second time. After losing to Bauman by 62 votes, she refused to concede for weeks.

On Sunday morning, Ellis posted her congratulations to Hicks on social media.

“Party politics is always going to be tough and often disappointing, but great change is never easy,” she wrote. “So many delegates put a tremendous amount on the line in the face of extraordinary pressure. Certainly, there are challenges for us ahead, and I hope our new chair can bring harmony to our party during these difficult times.”

Ellis supporters had their doubts. Many said they were frustrated that Democratic politicians were not following the state party’s platform on issues like a fracking ban and single-payer health care and had been pushing for a change. They did not think Hicks would provide that course correction.

“Kimberly Ellis was all about working toward much easier access for normal people,” said Bill Honigman, 65, a retired emergency room doctor from Tustin (Orange County). “Unfortunately, the party has protected a lot of people.”

Ana Gonzalez, 32, a school employee from Rialto (San Bernardino County), said that after a string of white male leaders, she wanted a woman of color to head the state party. The increasingly diverse California electorate, she said, is not seeing itself reflected in the party leadership.

“Even the Republican Party has a Latina,” Gonzalez said, referring to Jessica Patterson, who was elected chair of the California Republican Party in February.

In an interview, Hicks said he would unify the party by developing a better sexual misconduct policy and making sure the state provides a level playing field for the large number of Democratic presidential candidates. He also touted his role in a “movement of workers of color,” bringing young people, women and minorities to the table in labor organizing.

“The diversity of the party is not only important for the moment, but for the future of the party,” Hicks said, promising to surround himself with a diverse leadership team.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff