Wisconsin state party chair Ben Wikler scooped up a key endorsement as he seeks to head the Democratic National Committee.
Stacey Abrams, the two-time Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Georgia and a leading voice in the party’s push to combat what it sees as growing voting suppression efforts, announced Monday that she is backing Wikler for DNC chair.
In a statement to POLITICO, Abrams praised Wikler as “the battle-tested chair the DNC needs right now,” citing his success fighting against “destructive GOP control” in his home state and his ability to build coalitions.
“I have the deepest respect for the other candidates and their commitment to our party and our nation,” Abrams said. “Ben has proven that with year-round voter protection, smart organizing and clear messaging, we can win — especially in states where our rights are being eroded.”
The Abrams endorsement comes days after the party held its first official candidate gathering on Saturday, the first of four ahead of the Feb. 1 DNC elections.
“I am honored to have the endorsement of Stacey Abrams,” Wikler said in a statement to POLITICO, adding that her work in Georgia “has been an inspiration for the year-round organizing, permanent campaign, and voter protection infrastructure that we supercharged to historic wins in Wisconsin. Moreover, I’ve been lucky to have her as a friend, mentor, and advisor.”
Abrams also threw her support behind Georgia Democrat Rep. Nikema Williams, who is seeking to be Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation. Unlike the race for the chair, that contest features all candidates of color, including Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Reyna Walters-Morgan, the former Director of Civic Engagement and Voter Protection at the DNC and former DNC vice Chair Michael Blake.
“Nikema has steadfastly served the Democratic Party of Georgia,” Abrams said. “She’s a fierce advocate for inclusion and equity, and her deep connection to the grassroots makes her the ideal choice to help steer the DNC forward.”
She declined to endorse in other DNC leadership contests, including vice chair, secretary and treasurer.
The race for the DNC’s top job is considered by many party insiders to be a two-person race between Wikler and Ken Martin, who heads the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor.
Both are from upper midwestern states with very little difference between them on how they would reshape the party.
Both men vowed, if elected chair, to implement a year-round organizing strategy for all 50 states and seven U.S. territories and do away with the party’s reliance on the political consultant class, which they argue helped feed the perception that Democrats are largely out of touch with everyday Americans.
“The reality is, our party’s got to stand up and fight for working families again and give them a sense that we give a damn about their lives,” Martin said in an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
For now, the biggest difference among the two front-runners — and the dark horse candidacy of Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor who is seen as surging as of late — is in endorsements.
Martin has the backing of nearly two dozen Democratic leaders across nine southern states, including the party chairs of Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia, as well as the support from the entire Democratic party delegations in eight states like Orgeon and Arkansas.
Wikler in recent days won the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and state Democratic Party chairs Anderson Clayton of North Carolina and Lavora Barnes of Michigan.
The next officially sanctioned DNC candidate forum takes place on Thursday in Detroit, which will be hosted by POLITICO.
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