The Democratic National Committee has a new leader after the person who was head of the organization announced his intention to run for a U.S. Senate seat.
Now-former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, also the former governor of Virginia, announced on Tuesday that he would run for the U.S. Senate to try and win the seat that retiring Sen. Jim Webb currently holds. Kaine’s announcement opened the position at the DNC and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was given the chance to lead the organization responsible for Democratic messaging and supporting candidates throughout the country.
“In selecting Debbie to lead our party, President Obama noted her tenacity, her strength, her fighting spirit and her ability to overcome adversity,” Vice President Joe Biden said in an email to supporters about Wasserman Schultz’ new position. “President Obama expressed great admiration for her as a leader, and he was honored that she accepted this important challenge on behalf of the Democratic Party.”
After the announcement, the four-term representative released a statement saying she was “honored” and “humbled” to be chosen for the job.
“As we look toward 2012 in particular, I’m going to be working hard every day to guarantee that President Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ballot are in the best position to win their races,” she said. “That was my promise to the president and that will be my promise to every single Democrat across the country.”
Wasserman Schultz will not have to give up her seat in the House of Representatives but she will have to give up her position as the head of incumbent retention efforts with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Before the Wasserman Schultz ultimately was chosen for the job, she was considered one of the front-runners for the position, along with former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.
A Democratic source said in an interview with The Hill that the Florida congresswoman ultimately won the job because of her proven fundraising abilities and her familiarity with Democratic officials and donors. She also has a record of Democratic messaging on television and has name recognition in her home state of Florida – a key swing state.
“President Obama has chosen a battle-tested leader, great communicator, and outstanding fundraiser who will help Democrats win the tough fights ahead,” DCCC Chairman and New York Rep. Steve Israel said in a statement congratulating Wasserman Schultz. “Debbie will ensure that the Democratic Party’s agenda continues to reflect the top priorities of the American people – creating jobs, responsibly reducing the deficit and strengthening the middle class.”
“Since she was first elected to Congress in 2004, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has emerged as one of the most outspoken leaders in the Democratic Party,” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement. “A strong voice for ordinary people who didn’t cause the recession but are too often asked to pay the price, Wasserman Schultz will be a great advocate for President Obama and for Democrats across the country who are fighting to grow the economy and create jobs for middle-class families.”
She now is the first chairwoman of the DNC in roughly 15 years since Debra DeLee held the position. She becomes the third woman in history to lead either of the party’s national campaign organizations.
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