Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) was able to garner another 35 endorsements in his bid to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Friday, which included support from 10 House members — four from California — and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
The California representatives backing Ellison include Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Jared Huffman, and Rep. Alan Lowenthal.
Ellison, a progressive Democrat and the first Muslim elected to Congress, formally announced his candidacy to become the next chairman of the DNC on Monday. He would be replacing acting DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile, who replaced Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
Donna Brazile was revealed by emails published by Wikileaks to have fed questions to Hillary Clinton’s team ahead of debates during the 2016 primary election campaign. Brazile has remained as DNC head even after those revelations.
Brazile denied providing Hillary Clinton with questions in a CNN town hall debate ahead of the event, despite WikiLeaks documents that suggested otherwise.
Progressive filmmaker Michael Moore has endorsed Ellison, whom he called “the exact way to go.” Breitbart News has also reported on support for Ellison’s candidacy from New York Senator Sen. Chuck Schumer, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean announced that he too was running to head up the Democratic Party in a tweet he sent out on November 10. “The dems need organization and focus on the young. Need a fifty State strategy and tech rehab. I am in for chairman again,” he wrote.
Dean served as DNC chair during the Bush administration. He also has experience in foriegn policy.
In the midst of both announcements, the “Never Ellison” and “Never Dean” hashtags have emerged over social media:
Brazile’s term as interim chair of the DNC ends on February 28, 2017.
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