James Skoufis is claiming the outsider mantle in his long-shot bid to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee.
The little-known 37-year-old New York state senator jumped into the race over the weekend and has been busy making the media rounds — sharing his vision for the party as it picks up the pieces from a disappointing election that left the GOP in charge of the three branches of government.
“The DNC has long been led by operative types, long been led by products of party machines,” Mr. Skoufis said on Newsmax. “I am not a D.C. Beltway guy. I am the outsider in this race and we need to get back to one thing and one thing only, and that is winning as the Democratic Party.”
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who recently resigned as Social Security Administration commissioner, Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democrats, are also running to replace Jaime Harrison, who has held the post since 2021 and is not seeking a second term.
The field could continue to grow.
Some have suggested the party should turn to Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Mr. Emanuel, a veteran of Democratic politics, has showcased his no-holds-barred style of politics for decades, including as mayor of Chicago, a member of the U.S. House and White House chief of staff for President Obama.
The race for DNC chair has become a proving ground for up-and-coming politicos looking to make a name for themselves on the national stage.
Pete Buttigieg’s 2017 bid helped raise his national profile. The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor parlayed that into a stronger-than-expected bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and four years as transportation secretary for President Biden.
The party’s next leader will have to take a sober look at what led to President-elect Donald Trump’s victory — including his success at eating into traditional Democratic constituencies and into blue turf — and how Vice President Kamala Harris blew through over $1 billion.
In his announcement, Mr. Skoufis said the party is losing “on politics, messaging, organizing and policy” and has been “running the same stale, inside-the-Beltway playbook driven by the same, tired, inside-the-Beltway voices.”
He is introducing himself as the son of an immigrant from a “solidly” working-class union family who has shown he can win in “tough Trump turf three times” without sacrificing the party’s values.
“I want to bring these skills as a run to be chair of the Democratic Party. When you outperform the top of the ticket by 24%, you know a thing or two about brass tacks campaign,” Mr. Skoufis said.
“We have to show up and compete everywhere, trim margins in red rural turf, meet people where they are in language and with new technology.”
In his Newsmax appearance, he said the party needs to stop talking to voters in “academic terms,” “meet them where they are” and do more to communicate with people — “especially in the middle.”
“First and foremost, we have to stop telling voters what to think. We have to do a lot more listening and responding to voters and their sentiment,” he said.
He said the party must stop promoting think-tank white papers in an attempt to convince voters that the economy is doing well.
“When they go to the supermarket and see that it is not, we seem to be very disconnected from the real-world problems that voters have,” Mr. Skoufis said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.