Democrats gather in Atlanta to set course for party’s future

Hundreds of top Democrats newly energized by Donald Trump’s presidency will gather in Atlanta Thursday to elect a new leader, a vote that will set the course for the party’s future and the stage for the 2018 midterm elections.

The fight over the Democratic National Committee chairmanship has all the makings of a repeat of the bruising primary, where an establishment-backed Hillary Clinton squared off against Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign from the party’s left flank.

This time, Sanders and other leaders in the party’s progressive wing are backing U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison’s bid for DNC chairman, while former U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez has support from allies of Clinton’s and former President Barack Obama’s.

But others are trying to establish themselves as the best able to harness the wave of liberal activism that’s erupted in protests and town hall meetings after Trump’s inauguration and turn it into concrete electoral action.

In part because of the burgeoning field, no candidate yet has a lock on the majority of the 447 committee members needed to win, though Perez is believed to have an early advantage. What is for certain, though, is the winner won’t shy away from joining the “resistance” movement against the president.

All the leading contenders for the seat have pledged to defy Trump. They have also vowed, in one way or another, to pump more money into a 50-state strategy and rebuild a party infrastructure that’s been decimated in the past four election cycles.

The vote will surely resonate in Georgia, where state party leaders are wrestling with some of the same strategic divides the national party is: Should they appeal to disenchanted Republicans and moderates skeptical of Trump in next year’s election or cater to left-leaning voters already likely to support them?

 

 

Not surprisingly, the decision has also split many top Georgia Democrats. Most of the state’s establishment wing has endorsed Perez, including the state party’s top two officials, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and her successor, Kasim Reed.

“Tom understands the critical issues facing Democrats in their fight against a dangerous Republican agenda that has endangered American voting rights and pursued discriminatory legislative redistricting which leaves many citizens without an equal voice in their government,” Reed said in his endorsement.

Lining up behind Perez’s top rival are state Sen. Vincent Fort, a Sanders supporter and candidate for Atlanta mayor, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who became a face of the opposition to Trump when he boycotted his inauguration and questioned the legitimacy of his presidency.

“As Democrats, we must seek a leader who has demonstrated the ability to continue the fight to protect all that we hold dear as a nation,” Lewis said. “Keith is ready to take on the fight, and I am proud to stand with him.”

Ellison’s supporters are also quick to argue he has other establishment-friendly supporters, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, at his side.

With no candidate likely to win it outright in the first round of balloting, a few fresh-faced second-tier contenders hope to make a late charge. Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., has support from two former DNC chairmen – and a knack for going after the top two contenders.