DNC Chairman Race: Maryland's Tom Perez Chosen To Lead Party

TAKOMA PARK, MD — Former Obama administration labor secretary, Maryland state official and Takoma Park resident Tom Perez was elected the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee Saturday, winning over more votes than Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), considered to be the more liberal of the two candidates. Perez is the first Latino chosen to lead the party.

Although Takoma Park is a small town, it's known for being one of the most politically active in the nation. Three of President Barack Obama's former top advisers — Denis McDonough, Cecilia Muñoz and Perez — call Takoma Park their home.

"In Takoma Park we have a strong and long history of standing up for progressive values, and as Tom said on Saturday, when we lead with our values, we succeed," Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart told Patch. "We look forward to him taking the helm at the DNC and his work to unite and strengthen the Democratic Party."

Perez won after a second round of voting. In the first round, the threshold to win the race was 214.5 votes, which Perez nearly missed, getting 213.5 votes. Ellison received 200 votes in the first round of voting. The four other candidates in the race barely made a dent with the votes, and dropped out after the first round.

Both Perez and Ellison made speeches calling for unity in the party, the first sign of which was shown by Perez who moved to make Ellison deputy chair of the party. Ellison jokingly congratulated Perez for successfully passing his first motion.

President Obama issued a statement congratulating Perez. Below is Obama's full statement:

Congratulations to my friend Tom Perez on his election to lead the Democratic Party, and on his choice of Keith Ellison to help him lead it. I’m proud of all the candidates who ran, and who make this great party what it is. What unites our party is a belief in opportunity – the idea that however you started out, whatever you look like, or whomever you love, America is the place where you can make it if you try. Over the past eight years, our party continued its track record of delivering on that promise: growing the economy, creating new jobs, keeping our people safe with a tough, smart foreign policy, and expanding the rights of our founding to every American – including the right to quality, affordable health insurance. That’s a legacy the Democratic Party will always carry forward. I know that Tom Perez will unite us under that banner of opportunity, and lay the groundwork for a new generation of Democratic leadership for this big, bold, inclusive, dynamic America we love so much.

Trump also took to Twitter to "congratulate" Perez:

Perez responded:

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Ellison supporter, congratulated Perez but said that it is important that the former labor secretary understand that the "same-old, same-old" is not working.

It's imperative Tom understands that the same-old, same-old isn't working and that we must bring in working and young people in a new way. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 25, 2017

The Democratic Party must make clear it will stand up to the 1% and lead in the fight for social, racial, economic and environmental justice — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 25, 2017

The vote, which might have gone unnoticed in the past, received wide attention after the Democrats' sweeping loss in the November election as the party was left to grapple with trying to figure out what led to the loss that no one saw coming.

Additional reporting from Patch Editor Feroze Dhanoa

Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr