DNC candidate Harrison drops out, backs Perez for chairman

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison is ending his bid to lead the Democratic Party and throwing his support behind former Labor Secretary Tom Perez.

Harrison announced he was dropping out Thursday afternoon, just two days before the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Saturday vote in Atlanta. 

“This election is not about the individuals in the race; it is about unifying and rebuilding our Democratic Party. Therefore, today, I am ending my campaign for DNC Chair, but I am more confident than ever that our Party will come back strong,” Harrison said in an email to supporters. 

{mosads}”I am confident because we have a candidate for DNC Chair who can unite the Democratic Party behind the goal of enacting progressive change, a candidate who can take the fight to Donald Trump and rebuild our Party infrastructure, and a candidate whom I, as a voting member of the DNC, am proud to support: Tom Perez.”

Perez and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) are considered the two frontrunners for the job. Perez, who worked in President Obama’s cabinet and has the backing of former Vice President Joe Biden, is seen as the candidate of establishment Democrats.

Ellison, an early back of Sen. Bernie Sanders in last year’s Democratic presidential primary, is supported by Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and much of the progressive wing of the party, although he also is backed by establishment figures including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Both Ellison and Perez have the lion’s share of support from those within the DNC who have already decided. But with numerous other candidates also in the race, it’s unlikely either of them will win the majority of votes on the first ballot. Voters would continue casting ballots until one candidate surpasses 50 percent support.

Harrison, a red-state party chair with experience as a top aide to Democratic House leadership, had pitched himself as a unifier that could bypass the factional war between the progressive and establishment sides. 

His exit from the race follows New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley’s decision last week to drop out and endorse Ellison. 

Along with Perez and Ellison, the remaining candidates are South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Sally Boynton Brown,, former Fox News commentator Jehmu Greene, Air Force veteran Sam Ronan and Wisconsin lawyer Peter Peckarsky. 

– Updated at 1:41 p.m.