AN OUTSIDER’S PLATFORM: REFORMING THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE 

I’m running for Chair to take on the urgent task of transforming the Democratic National Committee into an organization that engages and mobilizes voters and wins races. I’ve spent my political career winning tough races in deep-red territory––eight straight victories, including three wins in districts carried by Donald Trump––which I do by showing up, campaigning on the issues, and delivering results on the priorities that voters clearly communicate to me that they care about. 

We need an outsider. The party organization itself is broken, and I do not believe that an insider can fix it. I’ve never been part of the inside-the-Beltway elite that got us here, and that’s precisely why I have the fearlessness, independence, and vision to enact real reforms at the DNC; we will not fix what ails the party by tinkering around the edges. If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting what we’ve been getting: a shrinking map, and disaffected, distrustful voters.  

Working with every DNC member, I will build a Democratic Party organizing machine that competes in every district, invests in our state and local parties, and breaks free from the stranglehold of the elite, insular, out-of-touch D.C. consultant class and self-serving special interest groups. 

This platform to remake the party apparatus is how we will win again:

Supercharging State and Local Parties & Expanding the Map

  • I trust local leaders who know voters better than a Beltway bureaucracy ever could. Our party must be anchored by strong state committees that operate year-round both on- and off-cycle at full capacity. I will immediately double the monthly State Partnership Program funds to every state and territory, ensuring each has the resources to maintain core staffing - field operations, communications, digital outreach, data, and partisan voter registration. State leaders know their communities best; that’s why I’ll empower the ASDC (Association of State Democratic Committees) to administer and tailor these dollars. No more top-down dictates from party operatives who have never set foot in the counties they claim to understand.

    • No longer will a 50-state strategy simply consist of a check-the-box $12,500-$15,000 monthly check. The DNC must be serious about rebuilding a 50 state, 7 territory, 3,244 county presence – especially in places we’ve all but written off at the advice of Washington consultants. I will dramatically enhance the Red State Fund and, further, loosen the counterproductive criteria to qualify so states that make hard-fought inroads ––such as by winning a key race or breaking a Republican supermajority––don’t suddenly lose the resources they rely on the day after Election Day. It’s time to expand the map rather than hunker down in seven states every four years. We’ve seen where that strategy leads: constant disappointment and diminishing returns. I know what it’s like to run, win, and cede no ground in deeply-challenging territory – red states and counties will get unprecedented resources, attention, and sweat equity from our DNC.

    • For the first time, the DNC will pay for year-round organizers in red states. These key bench-builders will not be parachuted in from DC; they will be local organizers who know their community best. They’ll be equipped with every DNC tool to ensure we begin rebuilding trust in the Democratic Party in even the reddest jurisdictions. Some wins may take multiple election cycles to materialize, but it’s long past time the DNC began building a long-term future, not perpetuating a failed, shortsighted strategy.

    • Democrats Abroad should not be treated like second-class members of the DNC. They will be provided with full votes––not half votes––and supplied with monthly, year-round funding to support their innovative, crucial efforts to party-build and deliver absentee votes that often make the difference in close contests.

  • In the past election, Democrats saw our urban dam break in swing and safe states alike, led by an exit from Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters––leading in no small part to losing seven swing states. Plainly, if voters stay home or break for Republicans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is out of reach. I will immediately fund dual, intertwined efforts to quickly and effectively rebuild our party in cities. First, we will fund a thorough assessment of why the relationship between Democrats and Black, Hispanic, and Asian voters has frayed, and will abide by the findings, however blunt or tough they are. Second, we will work with county and state parties in cities to ensure they aren’t a foregone conclusion––and are not stocked with patronage jobs, but by bold, talented staff using effective messaging and technology, and are part of the fabric of their communities––and are empowered to report findings back to the DNC.

  • Under my leadership, the DNC will engage in down-ballot races like never before. We will exponentially increase our investment and partnership with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, Democratic Municipal Officials, Democratic Mayors Association, and National Democratic County Officials with a goal of flipping 400 state legislative seats, winning 80 of the top 100 mayoral posts, and dominating county and judicial races.

    • Too many state chairs and essential staff members hold down second or third jobs just to make ends meet. These need to be full-time, compensated positions. If we’re serious about winning everywhere, we need strong local leadership with the time and resources to do it. Under my plan, the DNC will establish a dedicated compensation fund, in partnership with the ASDC, to ensure no chair has to choose between paying their bills and leading the fight to win elections.

Reforming DNC Operations & Breaking the Beltway Consultant Stranglehold

  • On day one, I will direct every existing vendor contract to expire––from the office supplies up to the largest consultant deals. No-bid contracts and backroom deals have bled the DNC dry, and we have ended up with terrible advice that has broken the party. It ends now. We will competitively re-bid every service and require vendors to earn our business on merit, cost-effectiveness, and deliverables––not personal relationships. As Chair, I will also enforce a total ban on any DNC member simultaneously profiting from DNC contracts. The era of revolving-door sweetheart deals will finally come to an end.

  • We’ll create economies of scale by letting state committees opt their employees into a DNC-administered health care plan––lowering premiums with buying power and keeping staff healthy and secure. We’ll also negotiate bulk rates on texting, robocalls, data services, and more, passing those savings directly to state and county parties. And, rather than hiring outrageously-priced outside law firms at $500+/hour, we will recruit aggressive, cost-effective in-house counsel to help both the DNC and local parties navigate legal, compliance, voter protection, and ballot-access issues as well as play offense against Republicans and spoiler third-parties. Our dollars will be spent on the business of winning campaigns. 

    • Currently, state leaders and grassroots voices are woefully underrepresented on our most critical committees. Under my watch, the DNC will ensure every major committee reflects the full range of backgrounds and diversity within our party. This starts by capping committee membership from the 75 Chair-appointed at-large seats to 17%––the same proportion those 75 individuals are to the full 448-member DNC; currently, at-large members comprise over 60% of some key committees.

    • We will make detailed financial reports and contract summaries available to all 448 DNC members, and I will hold quarterly virtual town halls so every DNC member can see exactly how our resources are deployed. 

    • We will use the Chair’s 75 appointments to the DNC to ensure the organization’s 448 members are representative of the broader Democratic Party. No longer will these seats be treated like patronage mills for operatives who do not make meaningful contributions to the DNC.

    • Every caucus will finally receive a budget line item from the DNC. No longer will these critical groups be left to fend for themselves. Caucuses such as the Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, and AAPI Caucus will be empowered with resources to be staffed effectively and rebuild bridges within our once-big Democratic tent, offer programming to members, and leverage their expertise to help win elections up and down the ballot.

Strengthening Labor & Staff for Permanent Organizing

  • I grew up in a strong union household with APWU and NALC postal service parents. I know firsthand how labor has powered the Democratic Party for generations––and how we’ve taken them for granted far too often. Under my leadership, the DNC’s Labor Council will be elevated to more forward-facing roles within the party. If we want to win back the working class, the DNC needs to empower working-class leaders to represent our party on every media platform. Likewise, I am sick and tired of organized labor just being our boots on the ground in the months leading up to an election. I’ll have organized labor in the decision-making room and core to the DNC’s every strategic move. We’ll set up new partnerships with unions, backed with millions of DNC dollars, to organize workplaces off-cycle so we have larger membership rolls to lean into on-cycle. We will fight side-by-side for pro-worker, pro-union legislation and executive actions that make a difference in people’s lives. And, the single most important case we will make every single day during the Trump Administration is there’s only one party looking out for working people: Democrats.

  • No more duplicative regional structures that bring confusion and inefficiency. We will allow ASDC staff to join the DNC staff union, and direct more resources into robust training programs. I will expand specialized “boot camps” for data, field, fundraising, digital, and communications, ensuring state and local leaders have up-to-date skills. Year-round professional staff who feel valued, protected, and heard is how we build winning state and local campaigns everywhere. Never, ever will DNC staff be given literally days’ notice prior to post-election turnover. Respecting workers starts at home.

Showing Up & Competing Everywhere

  • Unlike many national Democrats, I’ve never shied away from tough venues––whether that’s a Fox News broadcast, a conservative radio show, or a rural county fair in deep-red turf in my district. We will meet voters wherever they may be. That means fresh faces, new surrogates, and digital innovators who know how to communicate where it counts. I’ll crisscross the country and encourage all of our candidates to do the same, expanding our reach and recruiting voters who’ve felt dismissed or left behind. Less preaching to the choir, more evangelizing to would-be converts.

  • After a tough 2024, we can’t let an emboldened, radicalized, corrupt Donald Trump soak working families, tilt the economy for rich insiders, break our democracy, and take freedoms away from everyday Americans without a fight that is seen and engages as many voters as possible on the platforms where they get information. We’ll employ and deploy effective, sharp, persuasive communicators and content creators with the rapid-response tools and messaging they need to push back on all platforms––from TikTok to Sunday shows. No lie or misstep will go unchallenged. And the new communications shop will no longer cede major swathes of media to Republicans.

  • We cannot reduce ourselves to frantically chasing votes of students and young people during presidential cycles only––or, worse yet, taking them for granted, thinking that a post or appearance by a celebrity a week out from election time means that campuses will turn out. I’ll provide real, seven-figure resources and dedicated, full-time staff to the Young Democrats, College Democrats, High School Democrats, and the DNC’s Youth Council, empowering them with the same tech, tools, and training we offer major campaigns. We must also get creative in reaching younger audiences––from video platforms to gaming communities––treating youth engagement as a permanent priority, not an afterthought.