President-elect Biden plans to pick former South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison to chair the Democratic National Committee, Axios has confirmed.
Why it matters: Harrison rose to national prominence while running in 2020 to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of President Trump. The Democrat smashed the all-time Senate fundraising record by raising $57 million in the third quarter of 2020, but ultimately lost to Graham by 10 points.
- House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), whose endorsement of Biden before the South Carolina helped him secure the Democratic nomination, had pushed for the president-elect to choose Harrison to lead the DNC.
- Harrison previously served as chair for the South Carolina Democratic Party and ran for the national committee role in 2016 before bowing out to Tom Perez.
The big picture: Harrison, who recently launched a PAC focused on long-term investments in areas seen as Democratic reaches, will be tasked with defending the Democrats' narrow majorities in the House and Senate in 2022.
Go deeper ... Jaime Harrison: "We have to transform the Democratic Party"