SC Democratic leader Harrison considering a bid for party chair

S.C. Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison is thinking hard about running for the highest position in his party.

The 40-year-old Orangeburg native and Yale University graduate wrote on social media over the weekend that he was considering a bid for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee.

“I’m blown away by the tons of calls, emails and texts urging me to run for DNC Chair ... praying about it,” Harrison posted to Twitter. “I’ll decide soon!”

Harrison has been touted for months as a potential candidate to lead the DNC, which coordinates the party’s strategy and promotes its platform. In October, the website Politico listed Harrison as being among three front-runners for the job.

But the field is growing.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., has support from the party’s progressive wing. Former DNC chair Howard Dean also has said he would be interested in the job.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and DNC national finance chairman Henry Muñoz III also are considering bids.

Harrison became the African American to chair the S.C. Democratic Party in 2013. He is a former aide to U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House.

Harrison is a member of the Democratic National Committee’s executive committee and a principal at the Podesta Group, a government and public relations firm founded by John Podesta, the chairman of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign.

The chair is elected by a majority vote of hundreds of DNC members.

This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 12:25 PM with the headline "SC Democratic leader Harrison considering a bid for party chair."