(Reuters) – President-elect Joe Biden chose former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison to head the Democratic National Committee, Biden’s office said in a statement on Thursday.
Harrison was a successful fund-raiser as a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in South Carolina, amassing an impressive $ 109 million war chest for his 2020 campaign before finally losing his candidacy to oust Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
In the November election, Democrats held a majority, albeit a small one, in the United States House of Representatives and gained control of the United States Senate, after winning two elections last week in Georgia. But they are preparing for difficult elections to Congress in 2022.
Current DNC president Tom Perez said he would not seek another term.
Harrison, an associate president of the DNC, previously worked for US Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, whose initial support for Biden helped him secure the party’s presidential nomination last year.
Biden is in other high-level positions at the DNC with three women he considered possible running buddies during his presidential campaign: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and American Senator Tammy Duckworth. Biden ended up choosing another senator, Kamala Harris, to join him on the ticket.
DNC members will vote next week on their leaders for the 2021-2025 term.
Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Jason Lange; Written by Michael Martina; Editing by Dan Grebler and Peter Cooney