Philadelphia state Rep. Malcom Kenyatta is running for DNC vice chairman

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta is running for vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, a role that makes him a key player in the party’s internal discussions related to November’s losses.

The party’s three vice chairs will work with the next DNC ​​chair and its executive committee to chart a modern course for the party.

More than a dozen people are running for vice president, the highest number since at least 2017, a signal that Democrats are interested in rebuilding the party.

“The message of the Democratic Party is not locked in the brain of some expensive consultant,” Kenyatta said. “This is baked into the brains of working-class people and we need to listen to what they tell us and prioritize.”

The current vice chairs – a volunteer position elected by DNC members – are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and Henry R. Muñoz III, a designer and party activist.

Kenyatta, the only candidate from Pennsylvania, has represented North Philadelphia since 2019. He ran unsuccessfully for auditor general last year, losing the office by 5 points to incumbent Republican Tim DeFoor.

He campaigned for President Joe Biden in 2020 and for Biden and later Vice President Kamala Harris when she was nominated last year. Kenyatta, the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, played a role in the 2020 virtual convention and spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

He also was an busy surrogate for losing candidates in Pennsylvania and said he would take a local approach to the message and issues the party considered a priority.

“As someone who was downvoted,” he said, “the further down the ballot you get, the less you feel like there is anyone at the DNC who cares what happens in your race.”

Kenyatta said he would focus on launching the largest-ever partisan voter registration campaign and rebranding the party’s national image.

“We cannot as a party spend the next four years being a foil for someone else. I’m not a Democrat because I hate Republicans, I’m a Democrat because the Democratic Party, when at its best, serves the people I love most in the world.

Virginia McGregor, a longtime Democratic donor and Biden supporter from Scranton, is the current DNC ​​treasurer and is trying to keep her volunteer position. Other elected leadership positions include vice president for civic engagement and participation, national finance chair, and secretary.

These races take place within the competitive race for the DNC chair. The best candidates are Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler; Minnesota Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin; Martin O’Malley, former Maryland governor who ran for president in 2016; James Skoufis, New York State Senator, according to The New York Times.

Martin, who also serves as DNC vice chair elected by other state party chairs, called for a third-party audit of the DNC’s infrastructure after the 2024 election. according to NBC.

Kenyatta did not say who he was supporting in the election.

Candidates for chairman and vice chairman will debate in a series of virtual and in-person forums in the coming weeks, and then approximately 400 members of the Democratic National Committee will elect modern members on February 1 in Baltimore.

Here are the other people running for DNC vice chair: