Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed former Labor Secretary Tom Perez to take over as chairman of the Democratic National Committee Wednesday, calling him the “best bet” to bring the party back to prominence.
In a statement, Biden talked up Perez’s Democratic bonafides and his ability to speak directly to voters and not “down to them,” calling him a man of “integrity and vision.”
“I’ve known Tom Perez for a long time. He’s a man of integrity and vision. And he knows what it means to be a Democrat,” Biden said.
“Tom knows how to talk to people, not down to them,” the former vice president said. “He knows how to explain why our party’s core beliefs matter to the immigrant family in Arizona and the coal miner in West Virginia. That matters.”
“We have a lot of good people vying for this important job. But I do think for this moment and in this time, Tom Perez is our best bet to help bring the party back,” Biden continued. “I’ve watched him work. I think I know his heart. That’s why I endorse him as the next chairman of the DNC.”
Perez is one of eight Democrats running to take over for interim chair Donna Brazile, with an election set for later this month. He is viewed as a top candidate for the post along with Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.
In a statement, Ellison said that he can “appreciate” Biden’s endorsement of Perez given that they worked together in under former President Barack Obama’s administration.
“I admire and respect Vice-President Biden. He has given great service to our country as a US Senator and in the White House,” Ellison said. “Vice-President Biden is known for loyalty to people he has worked with, and I can certainly appreciate him wanting to support Tom, who worked in the Administration.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has been a vocal backer of Ellison, also released a statement Wednesday, saying that while he has a lot of respect for Perez and is a friend of the former vice president, Ellison is still the top choice, poitning to the need for a “fundamental restructuring” of the DNC and the party.
“Joe Biden is a friend of mine and I have a lot of respect for Tom Perez,” Sanders said. “In terms of the next chair of the DNC, however, the question is simple: Do we stay with a failed status-quo approach or do we go forward with a fundamental restructuring of the Democratic Party? I say we go forward and create a grassroots party which speaks for working people and is prepared to stand up to the top 1 percent. That’s why we have to support Keith Ellison.”
