The executive directors of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and MoveOn.org on Wednesday endorsed Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler for Democratic National Committee chairman.
The Hill first reported on their endorsement.
“Ben is an organizer who built the most successful state party in America and has the results to prove it as an organizer,” PCCC founder Adam Green said in an interview with The Hill. . “That’s very different from just party hacks or establishment insiders.”
“There are a lot of criticisms about what Democrats did wrong or what they could do better in the future, but they all lead to something new now, and some changes need to be made. “It sends a signal that the Democratic Party understands the point and that it's asking organizers for their opinions and has a track record of winning elections,” he continued.
inMoveOn.org blog postLana Epting, the group's executive director, wrote that Wikler, who previously served as MoveOn.org's Washington director, is “the right person to meet the moment” for Democrats in the transition to the Trump administration. .
Epting cited Wikler's work defending the Affordable Care Act, as well as her fundraising record and experience supporting Democrats in Wisconsin.
“With Donald Trump back in office and Republicans in control of all branches of government, the DNC can unite all sides of the Democratic Party to effectively fight Republicans on their own turf and come together to win. We need leaders' and mobilize the resources we need to succeed,'' Epting wrote.
The PCCC's endorsement came hours after center-left think tank Third Way endorsed Wikler. Their endorsements appear to demonstrate Wikler's appeal to the party's centrist and liberal wings.
“Ben is widely known as a special, unique leader beloved by progressive grassroots organizations and loved by former Obama campaign officials,” Greene said. “He unites the party because he is competent, not because he is milquetoast or transactional.”
Greene said Wikler's status as an economic populist has played a role in his success as Wisconsin party chairman.
“There are many theories about what happened after the 2024 election, but most of the time the Democratic Party needs to reconnect with working-class people, and to do that they need to convey a strong economic populist message.” Everyone recognizes it,” Green said. “Having such a torchbearer, who is also the nation's best state party chairman, as DNC chairman seems like the perfect down payment on the direction the Democratic Party needs.
In an interview with CNN announcing his candidacy, Wilker cited recent Democratic successes under his leadership, even though President-elect Trump narrowly flipped the state last month.
He also highlighted Sen. Tammy Baldwin's (D) re-election and victory in the Democratic state Legislature, President Biden's victory in the state in 2020, Gov. Tony Evers' (D) victory in the 2022 election, and Democratic overturns the majority of the state Supreme Court.
Minnesota Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), and New York State Sen. James Skoufis have also begun running for the committee's top leadership positions.
