In his announcement, Ray Buckley (left) said the DNC required "radical reform." | AP Photo New Hampshire chairman jumps into DNC race

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley announced his candidacy for Democratic National Committee chairman on Tuesday.

"I’m in!" Buckley wrote in an email announcing his candidacy. "I am a candidate for Chair of the Democratic National Committee. I look forward to a robust discussion with you on the future of the Democratic Party and I ask for and hope to earn your support."


Buckley's announcement expands the field of candidates running to succeed interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile to four, including South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, and Rep. Keith Ellison.

Buckley, a veteran state party leader, had long been considered a likely candidate for the job and had strongly expressed his interest in it.

In his announcement, Buckley said the DNC required "radical reform."

"Make no mistake, if I am elected chair there will be radical reform of how the DNC operates. You and every member of the DNC will be called on to fully participate in the governance of our party," Buckley wrote. "The DNC will be a team effort unlike what we have seen for many years. Every voice should be respected, every face reflected in the Democratic Party. The party cannot just be about winning the White House. We have thousands of other races, including state, county and local races, that we need to win as well."

Unlike other announced and prospective candidates, Buckley has expressed openness to a bifurcated chairmanship structure where two chairs run the national party committee — as in the 1990s. In an earlier email to fellow DNC members, Buckley laid out how it would operate.

"The bifurcated arrangement would work like this: one chair is an elected official who is the ‘face’ of the party, the primary spokesperson for the party, deeply involved in messaging and representing the party across the country and the second chair would be the ‘nuts and bolts’ chair, running the day to day operations of the party, provide support for state parties and rebuilding our grassroots nationwide," Buckley wrote in a Nov. 21 email. "Both Chairs would work as a team, participate in fundraising and oversee the general operation of the party. It would take two individuals with the ability to work in the model of team leadership."

Other potential candidates in the DNC race include NARAL President Ilyse Hogue, EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock and Labor Secretary Tom Perez.

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