Perez, a career civil rights prosecutor who was on Hillary Clinton’s shortlist for vice-president, will be pitted against current frontrunner Keith Ellison

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Labor secretary Tom Perez announced on Thursday that he will run for chairman of the Democratic National Committee, a move that set an ally of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton against the current frontrunner, Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison, in the contest to rebuild the beleaguered party.

Perez, from Buffalo, New York, and whose parents moved to the US from the Dominican Republic, is seen by supporters as able to articulate the concerns of the working class and represent minorities fearful of a Trump administration.

“I am in this race because I really believe that this is one of those moments in our nation’s journey to form a more perfect union,” Perez said on a conference call with state party chairs who are voting members of the national committee. “It seems to me that we’re really in a battle for the heart and soul of our nation.”

Perez, a career civil rights prosecutor, has a long list of progressive achievements, though little experience in electoral politics. He led the investigation into Trayvon Martin, sued Arizona’s Joe Arpaio – the Maricopa County sheriff who was recently charged with contempt of court in a racial profiling case – and helped extend the overtime pay law.

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The labor secretary’s relatively late entry into the race came as Democrats searched for an alternative to Ellison, who announced his run days after Clinton’s election defeat.

“He jumped in while we were still mourning,” Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic party and a supporter of Perez, told the Guardian.

Ellison welcomed Perez to the race, saying he looked forward to discussing “how Democrats can speak to all Americans, harness the grassroots to turn out the vote, and strengthen our state and local parties”.



Ellison’s statement also highlighted the broad range of support he has received from congressional leaders, including senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and incoming minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York, as well as House minority leader Nancy Pelosi.

Ellison has also received support from major labor unions, including a recent endorsement from the AFL-CIO.

Perez, who endorsed Clinton during the Democratic primary and was on her shortlist for vice-president, was reportedly encouraged by the Obama administration to run. He also took his time considering whether to run for governor of Maryland.

Ellison is facing increasing criticism from Jewish groups and donors over past support for the Nation of Islam and comments on Israel, which were recently resurfaced by conservative media.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tom Perez with Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa. Photograph: Nati Harnik/AP

Ellison apologized for his remarks in an essay published on Medium last month, writing that he “lived a politics defined by respecting differences, rejecting all forms of racism and antisemitism”.

A day before Perez’s announcement, Ellison held a rally at the American Federation of Teachers in Washington. The event was organized by Our Revolution, a progressive movement formed after Sanders’ primary defeat by Clinton.

“We need a 3,007-county strategy,” Ellison told the crowd, presenting himself as a lifelong organizer who would rebuild the party from the “bottom up” .

“We need a town strategy. We need a precinct strategy.”

Ellison and Perez are both from the progressive wing of the party and have put forward similar visions for how to rebuild it.

“I don’t believe there is a very good reason for Tom Perez to run against Keith,” said Larry Cohen, chair of Our Revolution. “Why carve up the so-called progressive vote?”

On his call, Perez said his experience at the helm of the labor department and his organizing background make him uniquely qualified to run a “complex organization” like the DNC.

“At the Department of Labor (DoL) … about 40% of our 17,000 people are in headquarters, the rest are out in the field,” Perez said, in reply to a questioner who asked what made him different from the other candidates in the race.

“And you know what? There was a real tension at times between headquarters and the field. I have had a lot of experience in trying to build one DoL where we all have our oars in the water, rowing in synchrony. We need to build one Democratic party, too.”

Two state chairs are also running – Jaime Harrison, chair of the South Carolina Democratic party, and Raymond Buckley, of New Hampshire.



Harrison said the party would be best served by a state chairman who understood the importance of investing in grassroots efforts and down-ballot candidates after devastating losses in statehouses across the country.

“I don’t have the name ID of a congressman or a secretary,” Harrison said. “But when I sit down one-on-one with these members I see their heads shaking. They’re all in agreement that we have to go back to revitalizing state parties.”

The chair will be elected by the approximately 447 members who serve on the national committee at a meeting in late February. Before then, the candidates will lay out their visions at a series of forums around the country.

Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont who served as party chairman from 2005 to 2009, predicted more entries to the race before Christmas.

“This is not a race about political ideology,” he said. “It’s about competency. I was really afraid this race was going to turn into a Bernie v Hillary thing, but it’s not.

“We’ve got to get it right because I really think at this point it’s also a matter of national security.”