Tom Perez Thomas Edward PerezClinton’s top five vice presidential picks Government social programs: Triumph of hope over evidence Labor’s 'wasteful spending and mismanagement” at Workers’ Comp MORE, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), is pledging to make the party's primary process fairer and more transparent in the wake of the deeply divisive 2016 nominating contest between Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Warning signs flash for Lindsey Graham in South Carolina MORE and Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersNYT editorial board remembers Ginsburg: She 'will forever have two legacies' Two GOP governors urge Republicans to hold off on Supreme Court nominee Sanders knocks McConnell: He's going against Ginsburg's 'dying wishes' MORE (I-Vt.).

In an interview with radio host John Catsimatidis, Perez acknowledged that last year's Democratic primaries left many voters skeptical of the party's intentions, and vowed to make up for that in future contests.

"It's clear to me that the DNC has to do a better job of ensuring that the Democratic primary process is fair to everybody," said Perez, who took over the DNC earlier this year as the party sought to regroup from Clinton's 2016 election loss.

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"And by everybody I mean not just the candidates, but the voters feel like the party is transparent and the party is giving an opportunity to everyone and the party is making sure that everybody who is able to vote can get out there."

"I know that we have to do a better job as the Democratic Party in making sure that the process is fair," he added.

One of the steps he said the DNC would take to assure voters that the primary process is fair is to set the party's debate schedule before all the candidates have announced their bids, as previously reported by The Hill.

"Last time around there was a very strong sense that the primary debate schedule was set up in a way as to help one candidate over another," he said. "And we're not going to have that happen."

Perez also said that the party's success in future races will depend on its ability to build its own infrastructure. That includes its use of technology and organizing efforts. Last year, he said, the DNC had allowed its "basic infrastructure to degrade."

Perez's comments come days after Democratic candidates swept state and local elections across Virginia, New Jersey and New York, among other states. The wins, widely seen as a reaction to President Trump's deep unpopularity, have been touted by the Democratic Party as a bellwether of success in the 2018 midterm elections.