MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Bernie Sander’s may not have been on the November 8th ballot, he may not have even won the Democratic Primary, but he is a driving and decisive force in the liberal world. So much so, that he is slowly changing the Democratic Party.
His first move after the election? Endorse Minnesota’s Representative from the Fifth Congressional District Keith Ellison to replace Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) as DNC Chair. According to The Hill, Sander’s spoke with MPR and shared his endorsement of the Minnesota Congressman.
Ellison, who was one of the first politicians to step up and throw his support and superdelegate vote behind Sanders has had his name tossed around as a potential replacement for Wasserman-Schultz.
Wasserman-Schultz left the DNC chair in utter disgrace following the DNCLeaks treasure trove of information uncovered by Wikileaks. The chair has been temporarily filled by Donna Brazile, another D.C. democrat who also has been brought down by Wikileaks after it was revealed that she supplied Hillary Clinton with debate questions before the debates occurred during her tenure at CNN.
Ellison has made a name for himself around the country. Being the first Muslim to hold a seat in Congress, has slowly made his way up the ranks before gaining national attention for supporting Sanders.
His time in office has been a different story. In an article by Inside Gov, Ellison was ranked #32 as the least-effective members of congress. Serving since 2007, Ellison has sponsored 134 bills with only two passing committee. Overall, Ellison was given an effectiveness score of 1%.
While the DNC Chair will be open for a while longer, an endorsement from a popular Sanders puts Ellison at the top of the list for the job.
Sander’s ringing endorsement proves to be an added bonus for Ellison’s career. So much so, that Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a leading force in the more traditional democratic party, also threw his support of Ellison into the ring for DNC chair. A source told Politico that Schumer spoke with Ellison yesterday to offer his support.
A Sander’s endorsement has significant meaning for the Minnesota Congressman. Whatever change Sen. Sander’s plan to implement, he looks to add Ellison as his right-hand man.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.