The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is part of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well as works to establish a "party brand". It organizes the Democratic National Convention held every four years to nominate a candidate for President of the United States and to formulate the party platform. While it provides support for party candidates, it does not have direct authority over elected officials. When a Democrat is president, the White House controls the Committee. According to Boris Heersink, "political scientists have traditionally described the parties’ national committees as inconsequential but impartial service providers."
Its chair is elected by the committee. It conducts fundraising to support its activities.
The DNC was established on May 26, 1848, at that year's Democratic National Convention. The DNC's main counterpart is the Republican National Committee.
Role and organization
The DNC is responsible for articulating and promoting the Democratic platform and coordinating party organizational activity. When the president is a Democrat, the party generally works closely with the president. In presidential elections, it supervises the national convention and, both independently and in coordination with the presidential candidate, raises funds, commissions polls, and coordinates campaign strategy. Following the selection of a party nominee, the public funding laws permit the national party to coordinate certain expenditures with the nominee, but additional funds are spent on general, party-building activities. There are state committees in every state, as well as local committees in most cities, wards, and towns (and, in most states, counties).
The chairperson of the DNC is elected by vote of members of the Democratic National Committee. The DNC is composed of the chairs and vice-chairs of each state Democratic Party's central committee, two hundred members apportioned among the states based on population and generally elected either on the ballot by primary voters or by the state Democratic Party committee, a number of elected officials serving in an ex officio capacity, and a variety of representatives of major Democratic Party constituencies.
The DNC establishes rules for the caucuses and primaries which choose delegates to the Democratic National Convention, but the caucuses and primaries themselves are most often run not by the DNC but instead by each individual state. Primary elections, in particular, are invariably conducted by state governments according to their own laws. Political parties may choose to participate or not participate in a state's primary election, but no political party executives have any jurisdiction over the dates of primary elections, or how they are conducted.
All DNC members are superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, and their role can affect the outcome over a close primary race only if no candidate receives a majority of pledged delegates. These delegates, officially described as "unpledged party leader and elected official delegates," fall into three categories based on other positions they hold: elected members of the Democratic National Committee, sitting Democratic governors and members of Congress, and distinguished party leaders, consisting of current and former presidents, vice presidents, congressional leaders, and DNC chairs, are all superdelegates for life.
Leadership
Chair: Jaime Harrison, former Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party
Executive Director: Sam Cornale, former Chief of Staff of the Democratic National Committee Deputy Executive Director: Roger Lau, former Campaign Manager for Elizabeth Warren for President Political Director: Alana Mounce, former Executive Director of the Nevada State Democratic Party Chief of Staff: Anatole Jenkins, former National Organizing Director for Kamala Harris For The People Vice Chair of Civic Engagement and Voter Participation: Keisha Lance Bottoms Vice Chairs: Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois Ken Martin, Chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Vacant Treasurer: Virginia McGregor Secretary: Jason Rae Finance Chair: Chris Korge
In addition, a National Advisory Board exists for purposes of fundraising and advising the executive. The present chair is Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal.