WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Wisconsin Democrat Ben Wikler said on Sunday he is joining the race to lead the Democratic National Committee, a role that will take on heightened importance as the party looks to rebuild from its losses in the November election.
“This is time for Democrats to come together to learn about what we need to do to change and to start winning elections up and down the ballot for the next four years,” Wikler told CNN on Sunday.
Wikler, who serves as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, is among several candidates looking to replace Jaime Harrison, the current chair who is not seeking re-election when the party votes early next year.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Minnesota Democratic chief Ken Martin and New York state Senator James Skoufis also are vying to become the new Democratic chair.
Democrats are trying to chart the way forward after losing the presidency to Republican Donald Trump, as well as losing control of the Senate and failing to retake the House of Representatives.
Wikler, 43, previously served as a producer on comedian-turned-politician Al Franken’s radio show and as Washington director for the progressive action group MoveOn.
He said the national party could learn from organizing efforts he has overseen in Wisconsin, even though Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris lost the state to Trump. Democrats, Wikler said, needed to demonstrate to voters that they understood the economic pain people are feeling.
“The central problem is that voters, many voters, have internalized this idea that Democrats are not on their side, they’re not fighting for working families every day, they have other agendas,” he said.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Marguerita Choy)
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