Reid Backs Rep. Keith Ellison For DNC Chair: Dems Need ‘New Thinking’

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., accompanied by fellow House Democrats, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 16, 2016, to discuss opposition to the President Barack Obama's trade... Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., accompanied by fellow House Democrats, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 16, 2016, to discuss opposition to the President Barack Obama's trade deal. Despite Obama's direct appeal, House Democrats voted overwhelmingly on Friday to reject a jobs retraining program because it was legislatively linked to fast track, which they want to kill. Both parties were asking Tuesday whether they could persuade enough colleagues to switch their votes and reverse Friday's outcome, but few were optimistic. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke) MORE LESS
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Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Sunday threw his support behind Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee.

“My friend Keith Ellison is a terrific leader and a strong progressive who knows how to get things done,” he said in a statement. “Now is the time for new thinking and a fresh start at the DNC. Now is the time for Keith.”

Ellison already had the backing of leaders in the progressive wing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who will likely become the next Senate minority leader, also supports Ellison for chair of the DNC.

Democrats appear to be in search of new blood to lead the party after suffering significant losses in the 2016 election and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s (D-FL) resignation from the role in the wake of leaked emails from DNC staffers suggesting they worked against Sanders in the primary.

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will announce whether he will seek the role in a Monday conference call, according to the Washington Post.

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  1. I’d like him to consider doing it full time and not divide it between his congressional work and the DNC.I think it will require a single focus. Otherwise, momentum may be compromised and conflict of interests are likely to occur. Can he sacrifice for the DNC?

  2. You have me wondering as well. Is this nomination too soon, a knee jerk reaction? Who else should be considered & can we have more time to weigh in? I don’t even know Ellison.

  3. I agree completely with this sentiment. The DNC chair is a full time job, and as we have already seen, splitting the work is a less than ideal situation.

  4. Personally, if my Congresscritter split her time between representing me in DC and a second job, I’d be P.O.'ed.

  5. Avatar for okay okay says:

    All the DNC needs to do is what Harry Reid did in Nevada during this cycle and Nevada is now blue, with 3 new Federal Congressman, 1 new Federal Senator, and a State legislature that is now blue. Furthermore, Arizona and Texas may be turned around using his model…

    The DNC should concentrate on the Swing States and determine their individual unique situations to turn them around. Plus, Liar Trump, our new Commander in Sheets, and his henchmen will only make things worse in those rust belt areas, so he should help the turnaround, too.

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