Outgoing DNC chair Jaime Harrison pushes back against critics of ‘identity politics’

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison delivered a steadfast defense of his party’s commitment to racial equity Thursday, drawing on his own identity as a Black man to push back forcefully against critics who say Democrats need to abandon “identity politics.”

People of color need to see Democrats fighting for them, and that “cannot be the excuse for why we win or lose,” Harrison said in a passionate speech to state Democratic chairs meeting in Arizona.

“When I wake up in the morning, when I look in the mirror, when I step out the door, I can’t rub this off,” he said, waving his hand in front of his face. “This is who I am. This is how the world perceives me.”

“That is my identity,” he continued. “And it is not politics. It is my life. And the people that I need in the party, that I need to stand up for me, have to recognize that. You cannot run away from that.”

Harrison’s four-year tenure will end early next year. He twice suggested he has more grievances he’s itching to get off his chest, saying “the muzzle comes off” the day after his replacement is elected on Feb. 1. He has no plans to endorse a replacement.

“That’s it for you all,” Harrison said later as he wrapped up his speech. “Because I’m saving the rest for my book. And I am naming names.”

Democrats are having a fierce debate over the reasons Vice President Kamala Harris lost decisively to President-elect Donald Trump and the path forward for a party that will be locked out of the White House and Congressional majorities. Some have argued the party has become too politically correct and overly focused on appealing to voters based on their identity.

Harris would have been the first woman, the first Black woman and the first person of southeast Asian descent to be elected U.S. president. But she did not emphasize her race or gender in her presidential campaign.

Trump, however, talked extensively about Harris’ race even as many of his allies pleaded for him to avoid stoking racial animus.