Prom
Backed by
The Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Ben Wikler, believes he is the best candidate to bring the party back to strength. He has put forth a platform focused on unity, perseverance, and ultimately, victory in his bid to become the national party chair.
Written by Reid J. Epstein
Reid J. Epstein is reporting on the Democratic Party’s efforts to establish its identity in light of Donald J. Trump’s impending return to the presidency.
Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, who is known for his successful fundraising efforts and strong ties to political figures in Washington, declared his candidacy to become the leader of the Democratic National Committee on Sunday.
At the age of 43, Mr. Wikler has been in charge of the Wisconsin Democrats since 2019. Before that, he held a prominent position at MoveOn, a progressive advocacy organization. In an interview, he expressed his goal of replicating his success in Wisconsin on a national scale. During his time in Wisconsin, he was able to revitalize a weakened Democratic party that had suffered from years of Republican dominance in the state’s government.
Mr. Wikler started his political career as a research assistant for Al Franken. He is now running for party chair alongside competitors such as Ken Martin, the Minnesota Democratic chairman, Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, and James Skoufis, a New York state senator. While Martin claims to have endorsements from 83 out of 448 voting D.N.C. members, O’Malley has three endorsements, and Skoufis has none. When asked, Wikler did not disclose the level of support he has.
In a recent interview, Mr. Wikler chose not to answer several questions, including which state he believes should hold the first presidential primary in 2028 and whether President Biden should run for re-election.
"In this election, my main focus is on bringing people together, standing up for what we believe in, and ultimately achieving victory," stated Mr. Wikler. He emphasized that unity begins with understanding and learning from past experiences, as well as utilizing data. This knowledge should then be used to strategize and effectively approach future challenges.
Jaime Harrison, who is currently the party chairman, has decided not to run for re-election. Other potential candidates for the position include former Representative Max Rose from New York, Chuck Rocha who was a strategist for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential campaign, and Mallory McMorrow, a legislator in Michigan. The meeting to choose Harrison’s replacement has been scheduled for February 1 in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the article’s content.
Please activate JavaScript in the settings of your web browser.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access. If you are currently using Reader mode, please close it and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all content from The Times.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Are you currently a member? Please sign in.
Interested in receiving access to all articles from The Times? Sign up
Prom
Index of Pages
Navigation for Site Information