Harrison Nominates New Corporate Lobbyists to Join the DNC

DNC members say they were not allowed input on the nominees, who were put forward as a slate by Chair Jaime Harrison and will almost certainly be approved.

Harrison Nominates New Corporate Lobbyists to Join the DNC
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison delivers remarks at a voting rights event organized by the DNC at Howard University on July 08, 2021.

Tomorrow, Democratic National Committee members will vote to approve a slate of 75 nominees to serve as at-large members that have been put forward by Chair Jaime Harrison. The vote will take place in a virtual meeting that will also include votes on who will serve on the organization’s top committees including the Executive Committee and the Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Harrison’s picks for new at-large DNC members include many corporate lobbyists, consultants, and executives, including partners at firms that represent the fossil fuel industry, pharmaceutical companies, electric utilities, and defense contractors, as well as senior employees with Facebook, Pepsi, and SoftBank. The nominees will be voted on as a slate and are almost certain to be approved.

Many of these at-large nominees, who make up an influential faction of the approximately 447 voting DNC members, will select other members of the DNC committees that issue decisions on topics like whether the party groups will continue to accept donations from executives in the fossil fuel industry.