Tom Perez is going for the most outside-the-Beltway strategy, despite being the one with the closest ties to Washington. Perez set to make his run for DNC chair official

Tom Perez will make his run for Democratic National Committee chair official on Thursday afternoon.

The Labor secretary emailed all neutral and supportive party chairs, vice chairs and executive directors Wednesday morning, asking them to join him on a conference call at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The invitation to the call already comes with support: 10 state party chairs are signed onto it.


“Tom intends to make the grassroots, local state party leadership, constituencies central to the future of the party, and Democrats across the country—not Washington D.C. insiders—the focal point of his campaign,” said a person close to Perez.

That’s an implicit dig at Rep. Keith Ellison, the Minnesota congressman who got in early and aggressively to the chair race and has continued to roll out big endorsements from Sens. Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren to other members of Congress to labor unions.

South Carolina party chair Jaime Harrison and New Hampshire party chair Ray Buckley are also running, hoping to draw support from outside Washington and from their experience running smaller party organizations.

But Perez, who would be passing on a race for Maryland governor and hoping to draw on support from supporters of President Barack Obama, is the one going for the most outside-the-Beltway strategy, despite being the one with the closest ties to Washington.

At the same time, he’ll hope to capitalize on his own progressive support which made him a darkhorse finalist to be picked as Hillary Clinton’s running mate over the summer—a prospect that Warren at one point suggested support for.

“As you may know, Tom Perez is considering running to be the party’s next DNC Chair. He is a proven leader, civil rights attorney, and has served in President Obama’s administration for the last 8 years where he has expanded opportunity for Americans across the country. Tom would like to have this informal discussion to hear from you on how we can make the party more inclusive and one that represents all Americans,” reads the email that went out Wednesday morning.

Signed on to the invitation are Texas Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa, Colorado chair Rick Palacio, Idaho chair Bert Marley, Perez home state Maryland chair Bruce Poole, North Dakota chair Kylie Oversen, Pennsylvania chair Marcel Groen, Virginia chair Susan Swecker, Wyoming chair Ana Cuprill, Nevada chair Roberta Lange, and Massachusetts chair Gus Bickford. Ohio vice chair Rhine McLin and California vice chair Alex Gallardo-Rooker are also on board.

The election for chair will be held in late February.

