News: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will hold a candidate forum for DNC candidates.
The candidate forum is a sign that House Democratic leadership is responding to interest from its rank-and-file members in electing a DNC chair who will prioritize winning back the House in 2026.
The leading candidates running for DNC chair include Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and New York state Sen. James Skoufis.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has endorsed Wikler, calling him “a tenacious organizer.” But apart from that, Jeffries — and most of the congressional Democratic leadership — have been mum on who they’re throwing their support behind.
Endorsement news: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a former DNC chair and vice presidential candidate, is backing O’Malley for DNC chair, hailing him as “a superb communicator and a proven political winner.”
Kaine’s endorsement comes after O’Malley won the endorsement of prominent current and former Congressional Black Caucus members, including Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). However, the CBC as a group is not currently planning to endorse.
Most of the early endorsements have come from lawmakers in the home states of the major candidates.
Maryland Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks endorsed O’Malley as their choice, while Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin threw her support behind Wikler, her home state option.
Democrats are hoping to shore up their messaging and party appeal after losing both chambers of Congress and the White House to Republicans.
The DNC chair election is scheduled for Feb. 1.
