I heard someone say recently that the race to be chairperson of the Democratic National Committee now has so many contenders, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard. With this in mind, I thought I’d offer one.
Howard Dean — Dean wants the job badly and is actively campaigning for the post. In a way, it’s fall 2003 all over again — Dean is gathering grassroots support while party leaders want nothing to do with him. At this point, he’s the biggest name in the bunch, but he hasn’t officially said he’s seeking the post.
Ron Kirk — I’m a big fan of the former Dallas mayor, who has shown some appeal in Texas, of all places. He hesitated initially about this opening, but appears to have jumped into the DNC race with more enthusiasm lately. It’s worth noting that Kirk was very well received at a recent gathering of state party chairs, especially when he noted the party’s need to shore up support among women.
Martin Frost — The former congressman from Texas, out of work because of DeLay’s outrageous re-redistricting scheme, recently started taking the run for the DNC post seriously. While he initially just dropped hints about his plans, Frost is now actively campaigning for the job. He’s lining up support from key congressional leaders now and is widely respected as a smart and tough fighter from a red state. And Frost gets bonus points for a strong performance this week on Fox News.
Wellington Webb — The former mayor of Denver is going all-out in this race, wooing state chairs aggressively and even sending out videos to DNC members about his qualifications. Indeed, he’s the only major candidate to formally announce his candidacy for the job. Webb is African American from an increasingly-important swing state, but he frequently clashed with unions in Denver, which may undermine his efforts.
Simon Rosenberg — One of my personal favorites, Rosenberg, of New Democrat Network fame, is very much in the mix. He’s savvy, committed to reform and modernization, and straddles the fence nicely between the party’s center and liberal factions. He hasn’t formally announced his bid for the job, but that may come soon. Rosenberg got quite a bit applause from the convention of state party chairs when he said, “We have an important choice to make in this race for chair – status quo or a modern path.”
Donnie Fowler — He hasn’t generated a lot of attention in this endeavor, but Fowler may be someone to keep an eye on. His father ran the DNC in the ’90s and Donnie picked up on many of his father’s best qualities. His emphasis has been on grassroots and online activism, which may help him appeal to some of Dean’s and Rosenberg’s fans, and despite his relative youth, has extensive campaign experience. USA Today noted that Fowler says the party should be “defiant in defeat,” “remind voters we have a soul,” and has proposed regional DNC offices and giving more power to local leaders.
James Blanchard — The former Michigan governor and ambassador to Canada unofficially jumped into the race last week. Blanchard impressed party leaders with his work on Kerry’s behalf in Michigan during the presidential race.
Ray Mabus — The former governor of Mississippi and Clinton’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia announced his intentions last week, insisting that he could help reestablish the party in the deep south. He’s one of several DNC chair candidates who’s been speaking regularly with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid about the position.
Harold Ickes — The former White House consigliore is rumored to be the Clintons’ top choice, which may or may not be sufficient. If, however, party leaders see him as overly loyal to Hillary, and activists believe she’ll run for president in ’08, it may be an easy excuse to reject Ickes’ bid.
Byron Dorgan — The centrist Dem senator from North Dakota hasn’t actually shown any real interest in the DNC job, but Harry Reid, after meeting with a handful of the leading candidates, specifically encouraged Dorgan to seek the chairmanship. It’s not going to happen. Indeed, Dorgon already got the post he wanted — chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee. For what it’s worth Dorgan also said he’d have “no problem” with Dean “or anyone else [pursuing the post], just as long as the [DNC] focuses on other regions.”
Joe Lockhart — It was only a fleeting rumor, but KE04’s Peter Daou heard talk recently that the former White House press secretary and Kerry campaign spokesman may be the Clintons’ top choice for the DNC post. I’m a huge Lockhart fan, but at this point, it’s only a rumor and I haven’t heard a syllable about it since Peter mentioned it two weeks ago.
Tim Roemer — Former Indiana congressman Tim Roemer is being pushed in a big way to pursue the DNC chairmanship. At this point, he’s thinking about it. On the upside, Roemer is from a Red state and did a fine job as one of the Dem members of the 9/11 Commission. On the downside, he’s opposed to abortion rights, which will probably hurt his chances a lot. Nevertheless, there are rumors that Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders could rally behind Roemer as an alternative to Dean.
There are, meanwhile, a handful of people who thought about pursuing the job, but have since dropped out of consideration, including Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, former telecommunications executive Leo Hindery, former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, and former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
And just when you think you’ve got a full slate of capable people, it’s also worth noting that this list could grow at any time. Stay tuned.