Democracy for America endorses Keith Ellison for DNC Chair

With 87% of DFA’s member vote, Ellison receives endorsement for Democratic National Committee Chair, the second in the grassroots progressive PAC’s history

Today, Democracy for America (DFA) endorsed Congressman Keith Ellison in his race to lead the Democratic Party as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Ellison earned DFA’s endorsement after receiving 87.4% of the votes cast by DFA members nationwide over a three-day voting period.

DFA’s endorsement of Ellison marks the second time the grassroots progressive PAC has endorsed in a race for Chair of the DNC.

In 2005, DFA members worked incredibly hard to elect DFA’s founder, Governor Howard Dean, as DNC Chair. Dean went on to welcome millions of new activists into the party and executed the trailblazing “50-State Strategy” that helped Democrats retake the House and Senate in 2006 and the White House in 2008.

Statement from Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America’s Executive Director, on today’s endorsement of Keith Ellison for DNC Chair:

“Keith Ellison earned the overwhelming support of Democracy for America’s grassroots members because he knows that the Democratic Party is strong when it’s built from the bottom up in every single state, in every single community, every single day.

“Our party needs Keith’s unyielding voice leading the fight against Donald Trump’s agenda of bigotry, hate, and greed. We also need a leader, like Keith, who understands that building a party that grows, nurtures, and strengthens the grassroots is the only way we can win races up-and-down the ticket and deliver crushing blows to income inequality, structural racism, and big money’s stranglehold on our politics.

“DFA members know how critically important strong, visionary DNC leadership is at moments like this -- it’s a fight that’s essentially baked into our DNA. Keith Ellison has the deep relationships with the grassroots, the bold vision for a party that works hard for every single vote in all 50 states, and the long-standing commitment to populist progressive values Democrats need to win in the years ahead. That’s why our members are excited to stand with him in the race for DNC Chair.” -- Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director, Democracy for America

DFA’s endorsement of Ellison brings with it a one-million member-strong grassroots army that, prior to the 2016 election, had knocked hundreds of thousands of doors, made over 11 million phone calls, and raised and contributed more than $32.7 million to help elect 843 progressive candidates nationwide since 2004.

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