South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison is being considered the frontrunner for the next Democratic National Committee chairman.
Although President-elect Joe Biden has yet to name who he wants in the role, many expect him to name Harrison. The former high school teacher previously served as the executive director of the House Democratic Caucus and the vice chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party.
Harrison was not well known nationally and was struggling in his Senate race against Lindsey Graham, but the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement led to Harrison receiving more than $130 million in campaign contributions during the summer. Harrison out-raised Graham by so much, the incumbent appeared on Fox News several times leading up to the election literally begging for money.
In November, Harrison told The Hill he’d consider the position if offered and he has the support of House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
“I can’t betray any conversations with Whip, but I know that it’s something that he seems to think that I could do. I’d put it that way,” Harrison said. “If that’s something that they are interested in me doing, I’ll definitely take a good look.”
If Harrison is selected to the position, he will be tasked with finding out why Democrats struggled in House and Senate races. Harrison will also be tasked with refocusing the base for the 2022 primaries in order to keep the House and potentially the Senate, depending on next month’s Georgia Senate runoffs.
Other Democrats in the running include Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, former Senator AL Franken, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and others. Former Georgia House Rep. Stacey Abrams said she is not interested in the position. Many Democratic insiders believe Abrams will take another shot at becoming the governor of Georgia.