Wisconsin state party chair Ben Wikler received a key endorsement from Michigan Democratic Party chair Lavora Barnes on Monday in his bid to take the helm of the Democratic National Committee.
“I am supporting Ben Wikler for DNC chair because he knows how to unite the party, to fight, and to win. Over the six years we’ve both been state chairs, we’ve communicated and worked together constantly,” Barnes said in a statement shared by Wikler on X.
“I’ve seen first-hand how he’s built a phenomenal operation in Wisconsin while also showing up for Democrats in other states and fighting for state parties in every room he enters,” she added.
Wikler said in a post on X that he was “proud” to have Barnes’ endorsement.
“My fellow state party chair @LavoraBarnes has been an amazing partner as we’ve fought to fortify the Blue Wall in the Midwest,” he said.
Wikler is among a handful of candidates running to be the next DNC chair. Other candidates include Ken Martin, the Minnesota state party chair; former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley; New York state Sen. James Skoufis; former Department of Homeland Security official Nate Snyder; former Maryland Senate Robert Houton and former presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson.
Wikler received one of his most high-profile endorsements yet when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced last week that he was endorsing him for DNC chair.
Wikler has also received endorsements from the centrist group Third Way, the left-leaning MoveOn and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC).
Martin has said he has at least 100 endorsements from DNC committee members. The DNC chair election is Feb. 1.
