Democratic National Committee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Democratic National Committee

Founded	May 26, 1848; 177 years ago (1848-05-26)
Location	430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Key people	Jaime Harrison (Chair) Chris Korge (Finance chair) Jason Rae (Secretary)
Affiliations	Democratic Party

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the main group for the Democratic Party in the United States. Its job is to help Democratic candidates across the country win elections. This includes local, state, and national races. The DNC also works to create a clear "brand" or identity for the party.

Every four years, the DNC organizes the Democratic National Convention. At this big meeting, the party chooses its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. They also decide on the party's main ideas and goals, called the party platform. The DNC helps candidates, but it doesn't tell elected officials what to do. When a Democrat is president, the White House usually guides the DNC.

The DNC's leader, called the chair, is chosen by the committee members. The DNC also raises money to pay for its activities. It was started on May 26, 1848. The DNC's main rival is the Republican National Committee.

What Does the DNC Do?

The DNC helps share and promote the Democratic Party's ideas and plans. It also organizes many party activities. When a Democrat is president, the DNC often works closely with them.

Supporting Presidential Elections

During presidential elections, the DNC helps with the national convention. It also raises money, conducts polls (surveys of public opinion), and plans campaign strategies. This is done both on its own and with the presidential candidate. After a candidate is chosen, the DNC can spend money to help their campaign. It also spends funds on general activities that help the party grow.

How the DNC is Organized

The DNC has committees in every state. There are also local committees in most cities, towns, and counties. The DNC chairperson is chosen by a vote of the DNC members.

The DNC is made up of different people:

• Leaders (chairs and vice-chairs) from each state's Democratic Party.
• Two hundred members chosen from different states, often by voters or state party committees.
• Elected officials who are members because of their positions.
• Representatives from important groups within the Democratic Party.

Primaries and Caucuses

The DNC sets rules for how caucuses and primaries work. These are the ways states choose delegates for the Democratic National Convention. However, the states themselves usually run these elections. Primary elections are often managed by state governments according to their own laws. Political parties can choose to take part in a state's primary, but they don't control the dates or how the primaries are run.

All DNC members are also "superdelegates" at the Democratic National Convention. These superdelegates are officially called "unpledged party leader and elected official delegates." They can only affect a close primary race if no candidate wins a majority of the delegates chosen by voters.

Superdelegates fall into three groups:

• Elected members of the Democratic National Committee.
• Democratic governors and members of Congress.
• Important party leaders, like current and former presidents, vice presidents, and DNC chairs. These people are superdelegates for life.

Who Leads the DNC Now?

In 2021, Jaime Harrison was chosen by President Joe Biden to lead the Democratic National Committee. The DNC members approved his choice.

Here are some of the current leaders:

• Chair: Jaime Harrison
• Executive Director: Sam Cornale
• Deputy Executive Director: Roger Lau
• Political Director: Alana Mounce
• Chief of Staff: Anatole Jenkins
• Vice Chair of Civic Engagement and Voter Participation: Keisha Lance Bottoms
• Vice Chairs:
  • Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan
  • Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois
  • Ken Martin, Chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
  • Vacant
• Treasurer: Virginia McGregor
• Secretary: Jason Rae
• Finance Chair: Chris Korge

There is also a National Advisory Board that helps with fundraising and gives advice. The current chair of this board is Elizabeth Frawley Bagley.

Past Leaders of the DNC

List of Democratic National Committee chairs

Officeholder		Term	State
	Hallett, BenjaminBenjamin Hallett	1848–1852	Massachusetts
	McLane, RobertRobert McLane	1852–1856	Maryland
	Smalley, DavidDavid Smalley	1856–1860	Vermont
	Belmont, AugustAugust Belmont	1860–1872	New York
	Schell, AugustusAugustus Schell	1872–1876	New York
	Hewitt, AbramAbram Hewitt	1876–1877	New York
	Barnum, WilliamWilliam Barnum	1877–1889	Connecticut
	Brice, CalvinCalvin Brice	1889–1892	Ohio
	Harrity, WilliamWilliam Harrity	1892–1896	Pennsylvania
	Jones, JamesJames Jones	1896–1904	Arkansas
	Taggart, ThomasThomas Taggart	1904–1908	Indiana
	Mack, NormanNorman Mack	1908–1912	New York
	McCombs, WilliamWilliam McCombs	1912–1916	New York
	McCormick, VanceVance McCormick	1916–1919	Pennsylvania
	Cummings, HomerHomer Cummings	1919–1920	Connecticut
	White, GeorgeGeorge White	1920–1921	Ohio
	Hull, CordellCordell Hull	1921–1924	Tennessee
	Shaver, ClemClem Shaver	1924–1928	West Virginia
	Raskob, JohnJohn Raskob	1928–1932	New York
	Farley, JamesJames Farley	1932–1940	New York
	Flynn, EdwardEdward Flynn	1940–1943	New York
	Walker, FrankFrank Walker	1943–1944	Pennsylvania
	Hannegan, RobertRobert Hannegan	1944–1947	Missouri
	McGrath, HowardHoward McGrath	1947–1949	Rhode Island
	Boyle, WilliamWilliam Boyle	1949–1951	Missouri
	McKinney, FrankFrank McKinney	1951–1952	Indiana
	Mitchell, StephenStephen Mitchell	1952–1955	Illinois
	Butler, PaulPaul Butler	1955–1960	Indiana
	Jackson, ScoopScoop Jackson	1960–1961	Washington
	Bailey, JohnJohn Bailey	1961–1968	Connecticut
	O'Brien, LarryLarry O'Brien	1968–1969	Massachusetts
	Harris, FredFred Harris	1969–1970	Oklahoma
	O'Brien, LarryLarry O'Brien	1970–1972	Massachusetts
	Westwood, JeanJean Westwood	1972	Utah
	Strauss, BobBob Strauss	1972–1977	Texas
	Curtis, KennethKenneth Curtis	1977–1978	Maine
	White, JohnJohn White	1978–1981	Texas
	Manatt, CharlesCharles Manatt	1981–1985	California
	Kirk, PaulPaul Kirk	1985–1989	Massachusetts
	Brown, RonRon Brown	1989–1993	New York
	Wilhelm, DavidDavid Wilhelm	1993–1994	Ohio
	DeLee, DebraDebra DeLee	1994–1995	Massachusetts
	Dodd, ChrisChris Dodd (General Chair)	1995–1997	Connecticut
	Fowler, DonDon Fowler (National Chair)		South Carolina
[[File:Roy Romer (CO).jpg|10name|Roy|Romer}} (General Chair)	1997–1999	Colorado
		Grossman, SteveSteve Grossman (National Chair)	Massachusetts
	Rendell, EdEd Rendell (General Chair)	1999–2001	Pennsylvania
	Andrew, JoeJoe Andrew (National Chair)		Indiana
	McAuliffe, TerryTerry McAuliffe	2001–2005	Virginia
	Dean, HowardHoward Dean	2005–2009	Vermont
	Kaine, TimTim Kaine	2009–2011	Virginia
	Brazile, DonnaDonna Brazile (Acting)	2011	Louisiana
	Wasserman Schultz, DebbieDebbie Wasserman Schultz	2011–2016	Florida
	Brazile, DonnaDonna Brazile (Acting)	2016–2017	Louisiana
	Perez, TomTom Perez	2017–2021	Maryland
	Jaime Harrison	2021–present	South Carolina
Source:

Deputy Chairs of the DNC

The role of Deputy Chair was brought back by Tom Perez in February 2017. He did this after winning the race to become DNC Chair.

Perez had a close win against Keith Ellison. He then named Ellison as Deputy Chair to help unite the Democratic Party. This was after some disagreements during the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries. The role's return in 2017 was mostly seen as an honorary position.

On November 8, 2018, Keith Ellison left the position. He had won the election to become the Attorney General of Minnesota. The Deputy Chair position is currently empty.

Officeholder		Term	State
	Evan Dobelle	1980–1981	Massachusetts
	Alexis Herman	1989–1992	Alabama
	Ben Johnson	2003–2005	Maryland
	Mike Honda	2003–2005	California
	Susan Turnbull	2003–2005	Maryland
	Keith Ellison	2017–2018	Minnesota

Treasurers of the DNC

List of Democratic National Committee Treasurers

Officeholder		Term	State
	Canda, Charles J.Charles J. Canda	1875–1892	New York
	Roosevelt, Robert B.Robert B. Roosevelt	1892–1896	New York
	St. John, William P.William P. St. John	1896–1897	New York
	Norris, James L.James L. Norris	1897–1900	District of Columbia
	Dunlap, Millard FillmoreMillard Fillmore Dunlap	1900–1904	Illinois
	Peabody, George FosterGeorge Foster Peabody	1904–1906	New York
	Belmont, AugustAugust Belmont	1906–1908
	O'Brien, William H.William H. O'Brien	1908	Indiana
	Haskell, Charles N.Charles N. Haskell	1908	Oklahoma
	Ridder, HermanHerman Ridder	1908–1912	New York
	Wells, RollaRolla Wells	1912–1916	Missouri
	Marsh, Wilbur W.Wilbur W. Marsh	1916–1924	Iowa
	Gerard, James W.James W. Gerard	1924–1932	New York
	Walker, Frank C.Frank C. Walker	1932–1934	New York
	Cummings, Walter J.Walter J. Cummings	1934–1936	Illinois
	Morgan, W. ForbesW. Forbes Morgan	1936–1937	New Hampshire
	Quayle Jr, Oliver A.Oliver A. Quayle Jr	1937–1941	District of Columbia
	Reynolds Jr., R. J.R. J. Reynolds Jr.	1941–1942	North Carolina
	Pauley, Edwin W.Edwin W. Pauley	1942–1945	California
	Killion, GeorgeGeorge Killion	1945–1947	California
	Blythe, Joe L.Joe L. Blythe	1948–1949	North Carolina
	Zirkle, Mary C.Mary C. Zirkle (acting)	1949–1950	Washington
	Salomon Jr, SidneySidney Salomon Jr	1950–1951	Missouri
	Turner, Roy J.Roy J. Turner	1951–1952	Oklahoma
	Dwight R. G. Palmer	1952–1953	New York
	Woodward, StanleyStanley Woodward	1953–1955	Virginia
	McCloskey, Matthew H.Matthew H. McCloskey	1955–1962	Pennsylvania
	MaGuire, RichardRichard MaGuire	1962–1965	Indiana
	Carter, Clifton C.Clifton C. Carter (acting)	1965–1966	District of Columbia
	Criswell, JohnJohn Criswell (acting)	1966–1968	Oklahoma
	Short, Robert E.Robert E. Short (acting)	1968–1969	Minnesota
	O'Connor, Patrick J.Patrick J. O'Connor (acting)	1969–1970	Minnesota
	Strauss, Robert S.Robert S. Strauss	1970–1972	Texas
	Petrie, DonaldDonald Petrie	1972
	Weingrow, HowardHoward Weingrow	1972	New York
	McColough, C. PeterC. Peter McColough	1973–1974	New York
	Williams, Edward BennettEdward Bennett Williams	1974–1977	District of Columbia
	McCleary, JoelJoel McCleary	1977–1978	North Carolina
	Dobelle, EvanEvan Dobelle	1978–1979	Massachusetts
	Kelly, Peter G.Peter G. Kelly	1979–1981	Connecticut
	Curry, CharlesCharles Curry	1981–1983	Missouri
	Kirk, Paul G.Paul G. Kirk	1983–1985	Massachusetts
	Dixon, Sharon PrattSharon Pratt Dixon	1985–1989	District of Columbia
	Farmer, RobertRobert Farmer	1989–1991
	Matsui, Robert T.Robert T. Matsui	1991–1995	California
	R. Scott Pastrick	1995–1997	Maryland
	Pensky, CarolCarol Pensky	1997–1999
	Tobias, AndrewAndrew Tobias	1999–2017
	Derrough, BillBill Derrough	2017–2021	California
	McGregor, VirginiaVirginia McGregor	2021–present	Virginia

History of the DNC

The DNC has been around since 1848. It was created during the 1848 Democratic National Convention. A resolution was passed to form the Democratic National Committee. It had thirty members, one from each state, and was led by Benjamin F. Hallett.

In 1925, Franklin Roosevelt suggested that the DNC should have a permanent office. He wanted it to work "every day in every year" and be run like a business. In 1929, John J. Raskob helped create the first permanent DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Important Events in DNC History

Watergate Incident

In the 1970s, the DNC's main office was located in the Watergate complex. This office was broken into by people connected to Richard Nixon's government. This event was part of a larger political scandal known as Watergate.

Fundraising Issues

In 2002, the Federal Election Commission fined the Democratic National Committee. This was because of problems with how they raised money in 1996.

Cyber Attacks on the DNC

[[File:DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz speaks to College Democrats.jpg|thumb|Debbie Wasserman Schultz was the DNC chair from 2011 to 2016.]] The DNC's computer networks have faced cyber attacks and hacks.

• According to DNC officials and security experts, two different Russian intelligence groups were found on the DNC's computer systems. One group got in during the summer of 2015, and another got in during April 2016. These groups looked at emails, chats, and research about a rival presidential candidate. They were removed from the DNC system in June 2016.
• A hacker known as Guccifer 2.0 claimed to have hacked the DNC network. This hacker then shared some of the DNC's emails with a newspaper. Investigators now believe Guccifer 2.0 was connected to Russia's military intelligence service.

2016 Email Leak

On July 22, 2016, a group called WikiLeaks released about 20,000 DNC emails. Some people said that these emails showed the DNC unfairly favored Hillary Clinton over her main challenger, Bernie Sanders. Donna Brazile, who was a DNC leader, later confirmed some of these claims in her book. The leaked emails covered a period of sixteen months, ending in May 2016.

These leaked emails led to several leaders resigning from the DNC. This included Chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Communications Director Luis Miranda, Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall, and Chief Executive Amy Dacey. After she resigned, Wasserman Schultz said that the FBI had not contacted the DNC about these intrusions. However, in January 2017, James Comey, the head of the FBI, said that the FBI had asked to see the DNC's computer servers but was not allowed to.

The DNC later filed a lawsuit against WikiLeaks and others. They claimed there was a plan to unfairly influence the election.

Images for kids

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  Chicago delegation to the January 8, 1912 Democratic National Committee

See also

In Spanish: Comité Nacional Demócrata para niños

• Green National Committee
• Libertarian National Committee
• Republican National Committee
• Information published by WikiLeaks