President-elect Joe Biden is expected to name Jaime Harrison, who challenged Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the 2020 elections, as the next Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair.
Biden’s pick is part of an effort to build up the committee ahead of the 2022 midterm elections for the party, the New York Times reported.
Harrison, a former chairman of the South Carolina Democrat Party, attained political stardom last year when he shattered fundraising records in his race against Graham, raising $57 million in the third quarter of 2020.
Even though Harrison lost to Graham in November, pulling in 44 percent of the vote to Graham’s 55 percent of the vote, Harrison gained a lot of support from the Democrat Party.
Harrison is also well-known to members and staff at the DNC when he was in charge of the South Carolina state party and attempted to become chairman of the party in 2017. He lost that bid to Tom Perez.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), who helped Biden win the primaries in South Carolina, has also championed Harrison’s candidacy for the DNC.
Incoming presidents typically control party committees, choosing who runs the parties and staffs them.
Unlike former President Barack Obama, who built his political operation outside traditional party channels, Biden has pledged to rebuild state parties and invest in the DNC.