Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison is running for chair of the Democratic Party, but Democrats aren’t easily convinced he should fill the seat, according to a Wednesday report from the New York Times.
Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, and Elizabeth Warren all came out in support of Ellison, sealing his progressive cred on the Hill. Ellison worked hard in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders during his presidential primary bid.
Unfortunately for Ellison, the rest of the Democratic Party isn’t as fast to accept his bid for chair of the DNC. President Barack Obama put pressure on Vice President Joe Biden to run for the position, according to the New York Times.
Democrats allied with the White House also approached Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to measure interest in the position, and Perez met for lunch at the White House shortly afterward with Valerie Jarrett and David Simas, both who advise the president in the White House.
The highly influential AFL-CIO decided to hold off endorsing anyone until they knew if Perez would actually pursue the position. Union leaders were prepared to endorse Ellison before Perez became a possible choice, but it remains clear that Perez is preferable to Ellison in the eyes of the AFL-CIO.
Ellison himself was supposed to provide an in-person interview for the Time’s article, but canceled at the last minute when he received word that the news outlet would ask him about his ties to Louis Farrakhan.
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