Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) on Wednesday announced his endorsement to lead the Democratic National Committee (DNC), backing a lesser-known candidate instead of the two most prominent names in the race.
O’Malley told Politico he’s supporting South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg to be DNC chairman. The top two players in the race are Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez.
O’Malley said he’s known Buttigieg for many years, calling him “one of those new, up-and-coming leaders in our country and in our party that’s really bringing forward a new and better way of governing.”
“He speaks with a clarity that our party really, really needs right now. He has been successful in a so-called red state; he brings to the public service of being mayor and the background of having served in our armed forces.
{mosads}”Our party sometimes talks about bringing forward a new generation of leadership. Well, hey, man, there’s never been a better time.”
Buttigieg has built little momentum in the DNC race, which has been seen as a de facto showdown between the progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wing of the party and the establishment wing. Ellison was an early backer of Sanders’s presidential bid last year, while Perez was a close ally of former President Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“It shouldn’t be about what faction of the losing party you were in in this last election,” O’Malley said. “Who cares?”