For party state officials, many of whom continue to harbor resentment over the downturn in the DNC during the Barack Obama administration, Harrison’s choice was a relief.
Some 70 presidents and vice presidents of state parties sent a letter to Biden’s transition team in November that, while not naming him, listed a number of qualities that “matched Jaime’s curriculum and experience,” as one their.
These party chiefs see Harrison as one of their own, a former state committee chairman who will lead a decentralized DNC and advocate for the state’s application of money to the organization – a difference, they hope, in how the party was run by former President Barack Obama.
Harrison’s choice was something of a foregone conclusion, with DNC members seeing him as the favorite for months and no viable challengers emerging. POLITICO said Wednesday that he was expected to take office.
His rise to the top of the DNC is a sign of the growing influence of the South in the Democratic Party, which is likely to expand further after the Georgia elections of elected senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
But it is also a sign of the influence exerted by Clyburn, a South Carolina congressman and an important ally of Biden who helped revive the president-elect’s campaign for 2020, endorsing him before his state’s primaries.
Clyburn pressured Harrison publicly and backstage, including talking to Biden about the position. Harrison was once an employee of Clyburn.
Biden and his team were extremely close to the DNC during their presidential race, with officials from both operations joining the conference calls and their respective leaders often coordinating field troops and messages. Harrison’s choice was something of a foregone conclusion, with DNC members seeing him as the favorite for months and no viable challengers emerging.
“Jaime will ensure that all 57 state parties and territories have the funding we need not only to win the elections, but also to build the infrastructure we need to organize throughout the year,” said Jane Kleeb, chairman of the Democratic Party of Nebraska. “We cannot afford to be a party that jumps out of resources at the last minute.”
Tina Podlodowski, president of the Washington Democratic Party, said that “we are all excited” about Harrison and as “a former state party president, he obviously understands the issues we need to deal with”.
DNC members will vote for their president and other positions between 18 and 21 January on an electronic ballot due to concerns about Covid-19. When Democrats win the White House, that vote is usually a formality that ratifies the president-elect’s choices.
One of the challenges the party faces in the coming years will be to raise money without President Donald Trump in office to mobilize donors. Harrison, who unsuccessfully challenged Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) last year, showed talent for fundraising. During his run for the Senate, he raised $ 131 million, a record for a House candidate.
But some Democrats question whether their ability to reap large sums while competing against a major bogeyman on the left will translate into fundraising for the DNC. Democrats will also face an uphill battle in the 2022 elections, when the party that controls the White House typically suffers defeats.
“Of course we want to help President Biden, but the House and Senate contests and governors in 2022 will be the primary focus of the DNC,” said Carol Fowler, a longtime Democratic official in South Carolina who is close to Harrison, recognizing the fundraising challenges for the ruling party. “Jamie can do this. He can do that. Those of us who know him know that he will be an exceptional leader and his focus will be on those races. “