Five things to watch for in the DNC race

DENVER — The candidates vying to take the lead of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) made their case before state party leaders in Denver Friday, setting the stage for what could be a messy race.

{mosads}The field of candidates is fluid — former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean dropped out early after failing to gain traction, and others are still weighing a bid.

While Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is the early front-runner, the race is by no means settled in his favor. State chairmen Jaime Harrison of South Carolina and Ray Buckley of New Hampshire are also in the running.

Here are five things to watch for as the race takes shape ahead of the Feb. 24 election.

Can Ellison survive his past statements?

Ellison and his aides have been in damage control mode as they seek to assuage the fears of party leaders who are alarmed by the cascading controversy surrounding his past racially charged remarks.

The exploding controversies have rattled some DNC members, who privately worry that irrespective of how Ellison handles the issue, it may already be too much for him to overcome.

“It’s a concern,” said one DNC member. 

In a 2010 speech, Ellison appeared to criticize U.S. foreign policy, saying it is beholden to Israel.

The newly surfaced remarks provoked the Anti-Defamation League, which has previously defended Ellison, to call on Democrats to reject his candidacy.

And major Democratic donor Haim Saban said at the gathering that Ellison is “an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel person” and would be a disaster for Democratic Party’s relationship with Israel. 

Ellison, a Muslim, insists that his comments were selectively edited and taken out of context by the website of Steven Emerson, a controversial figure that the Southern Poverty Law Center has deemed an “anti-Muslim extremist.”

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish Democrat in Congress, is so far sticking by Ellison.

But Ellison was dealing with blowback over past remarks even before the ADL episode.

Ellison has renounced his past praise for the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, who has been called an anti-Semite by civil rights groups.

Media outlets have been poring over Ellison’s writings under a pen name from when he was at University of Minnesota’s law school 26 years ago in which he called for a separate nation for black people. 

Ellison dismissed those remarks this week, calling them “tongue in cheek” and saying that his views had changed considerably over the last quarter-century.

He’s hoping the storm will pass.

Several rank-and-file DNC members who will have a vote in the election for chairman have dismissed the controversy, defending Ellison as a supporter of human rights and arguing that no one should be judged based on comments made in their youth.

Will members insist on a full-time chair? 

As a sitting lawmaker, Ellison is the only candidate running to be DNC chair who hasn’t committed to making the role his full-time job. 

But many Democrats are calling for full dedication in the next DNC chief, especially after past chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz split the responsibilities with her job as a Florida congresswoman.

When pressed at the forum, Ellison insisted that his role in Congress wouldn’t be an impediment to him being chair. But he left open the possibility that he’d leave the House if elected.

“I’ve talked with a lot of you and it’s become very apparent that many of you feel firmly about this,” Ellison said. “Though I love being in Congress — it allows me to serve my neighbors — I think it’s more important to build and strengthen the DNC and the Democratic Party. And so the election is Feb. 24. There’s still many I have to talk to. I’m hoping you’ll keep your minds open as we continue to talk.”

But the issue is likely to continue to bedevil Ellison unless he commits to leaving his seat in the House.

And Dean made an issue of it on his way out.

“I know this job better than anyone in this room,” Dean said in his concession video. “It requires 80 hours of work a week and constant travel across the country to fundraise … this is a full-time job.”

How much will the field grow? 
 
Few believe the field will settle at only three candidates.

DNC members are buzzing about Labor secretary Tom Perez possibly entering the race, believing he’d overtake Ellison as the front-runner should he take the plunge.

Perez is being pushed to run by President Obama and Vice President Biden, giving him instant credibility.

NARAL president Ilyse Hogue is also considering a run.

Although she was a Clinton supporter, Hogue has support in some progressive circles and would stand out as the only woman in the race.

Will Dean’s exit give second-tier candidates a better shot? 

Harrison of South Carolina and Buckley of New Hampshire stand to benefit from Dean dropping out.

There are 112 state party chairs and vice chairs and some 200 state and local officials below them who together make up the majority of the 447 DNC members who will vote.

Dean had a huge reservoir of goodwill built up among those state and local officials because of the “50 state strategy” he implemented as DNC chairman in the 2000s.

Now that he’s gone, the only two state chairmen in the race could benefit from their proximity to those members who hold heavy sway over the outcome of the election.

Both comported themselves well at the forum in Denver. 

Harrison is a young African-American with a compelling personal story. And Buckley, the president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs, has long relationships with many of those who will be voting. 

Still, neither has been able to rack up many endorsements early on, as many members are waiting to see if others will join the field.
 
Can Dems avoid a proxy war?

As Democrats work to pick up the pieces following a disastrous election, there is worry that a contentious race for DNC chairman will further splinter a reeling party.

There are still raw feelings between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and President Obama’s shadow looms large over the party.

That could be exacerbated by the loyalties of the DNC candidates.

Ellison was an early supporter of Sanders, who returned the favor with an early endorsement of Ellison for chair.

Harrison was a Clinton backer, as was Hogue. If Perez gets in, he’d have the support from Obamaworld.

Democrats are worried that could lead to another bitter campaign that rivals the primary between Sanders and Clinton.