South Carolina Democratic chairman seeks to lead national party

South Carolina Democratic Chairman Jaime Harrison will run for national Democratic Party chairman.

Harrison told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Monday night he will vie for the top spot in the party. Interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile will serve until early next year.

Harrison told the Post and Courier of Charleston “We need to go back to where the party used to be, which is not a political organization but a community organization.”

He faces formidable competition. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., said Monday he’s seek the chairmanship, and he has strong support from the party’s progressive wing. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind.-Vt., is supporting him. So are some key Senate leaders.

Also in the race is former Chairman Howard Dean, and Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland is also weighing a bid.

Harrison, 40, has ties to the party’s establishment wing. According to The (Columbia) State, he’s a former aide to U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House.

Harrison is a principal at the Podesta Group, a government and public relations firm founded by John Podesta, who chaired Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 11:25 PM with the headline "South Carolina Democratic chairman seeks to lead national party."