Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer is endorsing Ben Wikler to lead the Democratic National Committee, giving the Wisconsin state party leader a boost in a race with little attention and few high-profile candidates.
Schumer’s endorsement, disclosed first with AWN, comes as Democrats prepare for a month-long campaign to manage the DNC, which will include four candidate forums in January. Following the party’s crushing losses in November, committee members will nominate a new chair on February 1.
Schumer, the most prominent Democrat to speak out publicly over the race, described Wikler as a “tenacious organizer,” a “proven fundraiser,” and a “sharp communicator” in a statement. He underlined Wikler’s efforts in 2024, when Democrats in Wisconsin retained their Senate seat and flipped 14 state legislative seats despite the fact that Kamala Harris did not win the state.
“Ben has what Democrats need right now — proven results — and that’s why I’m backing Ben,” Schumer told CNN.
Wikler, who has leftist credentials dating back to his stint as a MoveOn senior strategist, has received acclaim from across the political spectrum, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the progressive caucus chair, and Jonthan Cowan, co-founder of the centrist Third Way. However, this year’s election has not broken down along typical moderate-versus-progressive lines, with candidates emphasizing a practical approach to party restoration. And Wikler is up against Ken Martin of Minnesota, a fellow Midwestern state party chair who entered the election as the early frontrunner, with endorsements from 100 of the DNC’s 448 members.
Other possibilities for the position include former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. Nate Snyder, a former Department of Homeland Security official, and New York State Senator James Skoufis are also candidates.
Schumer, the Senate majority leader until Friday, when the Republican majority takes control, has previously championed leftist candidates for DNC chair. In 2017, he endorsed Keith Ellison alongside Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Ellison, who is now Minnesota’s attorney general, lost his quest for DNC chair to Tom Perez, who received backing from former Vice President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama.
Ellison, for his part, supports Martin, Wikler’s primary opponent in the election.
According to Wikler, Schumer “knows the enormous stakes of this moment.”
“As DNC Chair, I will work closely with leaders across our big-tent party to unite us around our core values and to fight across every state,” Wikler told the crowd. “We will show voters that we are the party of working families everywhere by choosing fights that show who we are for — and who Trump and the GOP are for.”
