President-elect Joe Biden chose Jaime Harrison, the former US Democratic Senate candidate for South Carolina, who raised record sums of money in his failed attempt to oust Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to head the Democratic National Committee, transition team on Thursday.
Harrison was one of several DNC officials announced by the transition team on Thursday, including three women who were included on Biden’s list of candidates for vice president. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was selected for vice president of civic engagement and electoral protection, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer for vice president and Senator Tammy Duckworth for vice president.
The other selections were Representative Filemon Vela Jr. for Vice President, Jason Rae for Secretary, Virginia McGregor for Treasurer and Chris Korge for National Finance President.
In a statement, Biden called his choices “the best in the Democratic party”.
According to tradition, a new Democratic president chooses who should serve as president of the DNC and the choice is generally passed with little opposition from party leaders.
Harrison, 44, is the former president of the Democratic Party of South Carolina, a former senior DNC official and close friend of the mayor, Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, for whom he has previously worked. Clyburn emerged as an even more influential Democratic power broker after he helped revive his good friend Biden’s presidential campaign with an 11-hour endorsement before South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primaries last February. Harrison did not return requests for comment on Thursday.
Tom Perez, the current president of the DNC, did not seek another term.
Harrison’s candidacy for the United States Senate was once considered unlikely, but last summer’s polls put him even or slightly ahead of Graham, who never faced a well-funded Democratic opponent. Harrison ended up losing by 10 points, but raised $ 132 million for his campaign, making his candidacy one of the best funded ever among Democratic congressional candidates.
The president-elect has long-standing ties to the state of Palmetto, where he has already been on vacation and was close to Senator Fritz Hollings and was a frequent contributor to the state’s former Republican senator, Strom Thurmond.
Biden will also have a say in who will fill other leadership positions, including five vice presidents. Those positions are expected to be filled by elected officials, said a person familiar with the process.
The DNC, which comprises hundreds of members, including state party presidents, is due to hold its annual winter meeting on January 21.