This is an adapted excerpt from the November 25 episode of “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle.”
On Monday, the Democratic National Committee announced it will choose a new chairman on February 1, just days after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. As a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, I know the qualities it takes to lead a party, especially after such a devastating outcome.
When I took over as chairman in 2009, the Republican Party had just come under fire from Barack Obama in the 2008 elections. That defeat came just two years after Republicans lost control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections. In 2006, I ran for Senate in Maryland, and it didn’t matter how many people liked me or the job I was doing as a sitting lieutenant governor; what they were concerned about was where the Republican Party was going under the leadership of George W. Bush.
That is exactly the situation the Democratic Party finds itself in now. Americans are not only asking where the party is going, but also WHO will help it move forward.
The next DNC chairman must have an informed understanding of where the country stands and what it tells the party. The President must understand that the center of the country is as important as the east coast and the west coast, and that the south is as important as the north. Democrats need a president who understands how to win throughout the country.
Now freed from the political whims of the White House, the next Democratic leader’s goal is to rebuild the party’s brand and incorporate it into a 50-state strategy that will enable their candidates to compete competitively. win races around the world. country.
But an essential ingredient for the party’s future success is the understanding that elections are not only won from the top down, but that elections are also won from the bottom up. Creating strategies for the down-ballot candidates to win county executive races, mayoral races, and state legislative races will be a tremendous help to your candidates running for statewide and federal offices.
A president who understands how the country is changing, connects the party’s message and messengers to that change, and understands that winning is not a one-way street, will better position Democrats to be competitive again. Don’t think about it too much.
Allison Detzel contributed.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
