WASHINGTON (AP) – Labor Secretary Tom Perez officially announced his bid to head the Democratic National Committee on Thursday, casting himself as the candidate best able to speak to “the big tent” of a decimated and dispirited Democratic Party.
The Obama administration official, who was encouraged to run for the position by the White House, described an “atrophied” party apparatus and pledged to rebuild across the entire country – not just competitive swing states. He’s challenging front-runner Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, who attracted early support from top Democrats and labor unions but also drew criticism from some Jewish groups concerned about past remarks about Israel.
Perez, a Dominican-American who grew up in the Rust Belt, argued that he can represent the Democratic Party’s diversity and be an effective salesman for a liberal economic message that can engage the “big tent” of the party. A vocal backer of Hillary Clinton, Perez described himself as stunned by the election results and acknowledged that the party had failed to reach white, working-class voters during her campaign.
“We got our ass kicked in a lot of these rural pockets because we weren’t there in sufficient force,” he said, during a conference call with DNC members.
The entry of Perez into the race to rebuild the battered party may kick off a proxy fight between establishment Democrats and a more liberal wing seeking some significant changes in messaging.