The Democratic Party finds itself languishing in internal strife and discussions about the future direction it needs to take. Having lost the peak of Jaime Harrison, the incumbent Democratic National Committee Chairman who will soon end his term, Democrats are hard-pressed to identify his successor. Following the Democrats’ devastating defeat in the 2024 elections, the race has garnered a motley crew of hopefuls including Ben Wikler, head of the Wisconsin Democratic Party; Ken Martin, Chair of Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party; and ex-Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Rahm Emanuel, the seasoned Democratic strategist and current U.S. ambassador to Japan, is also touted as the potential knight in shining armor for the party. However, conspicuously missing from this discourse, are Black women, who fundamentally undergird the Democratic Party and had supported Kamala Harris, the failed Vice President candidate, by 92 percent in November.
I connected with Marcia Fudge, a collaborator of Harris, who was equally puzzled by their exclusion. Although some senior Black members of the party reached out to her to consider taking up the role, she politely declined the offer. Nonetheless, Fudge expressed her disappointment over the noticeable lack of potential Black leaders being suggested for the position. Staunchly, she said there can never be a genuine dialogue within the Democratic Party that omits Black women. Despite the fact that a national political party chair might not necessarily make the headlines all the time, the position is of utmost importance, particularly for democrats, due to their lack of control of the White House. The chair represents the face of the party, dealing with the financials, serving as the cheerleader of the team, and conveying the party’s message.
Black women have held steadfast as trustworthy voters for the Democratic Party for a long time. In recent times, these women have started to assert themselves, asking to be truly valued for their contributions, demanding a place at the table, and to be recognised as part of the process for setting the party’s agenda. Astonishingly, seven Black women were state party chairs in this recent electoral cycle. Yet, there is no Black woman who has yet shown an interest in succeeding Jaime Harrison, the outgoing chair and the second Black man to hold the position. Donna Brazile holds the record as the only Black woman to have served as the acting chair of the committee. The election for the next chair has been set for February 1. In the meantime, Power Rising, an organisation of politically active Black women, held a meeting in Florida, while the state party chairs assembled in Arizona.
Nikema Williams, the Georgia Rep., who also leads her state’s Democratic Party, expressed her disillusionment with the party’s actions. Christale Spain, Chair of South Carolina Democratic Party, was caught off guard when a Black woman’s name was not put in the hat for DNC head. Still, she wasn’t shocked to the core to see Black women refraining from contesting, considering the grueling political races they’ve had to endure. Spain didn’t receive any invitation to run, but she’s not tempted by the job offer anyway. She painted the DNC chair position as a thankless role, especially tough for a Black woman who needs a robust support system. She speculated whether this lack of guaranteed backing was keeping Black women from stepping up.
Spain asserted that Kamala Harris’s failed run, which was touted as a historical milestone, was a bitter blow to many Black women. It caused them to reassess their limitations—reaching for the zenith seemed more difficult than ever. According to Spain, for Black women, the proverbial glass ceiling appeared doubly sturdy. Regardless of the defeat, Spain stressed the need to avoid a leadership vacuum among the Democrats devoid of Black women. She claimed there were many capable Black women who could steer the party and shape its destiny. Spain concluded her thoughts with a pointed question – Why not a Black woman? She underscored her disappointment in the Democratic Party for ignoring diverse representation in response to recent events.