WASHINGTON _ Rep. Keith Ellison made his candidacy for chairman of the Democratic National Committee official Monday, as the party looks to reinvent itself after the stunning loss of presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The Minnesota Democrat is a co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Committee, the largest Democratic caucus, and backed the Democratic primary bid of former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Ellison, 53, has emerged since Election Day as a figure party leaders are looking to to help rebuild and overhaul the party's focus after Clinton lost to President-elect Donald Trump.
Democrats also failed to retake the Senate as anticipated and did not pick up as many seats in the House and party leaders had projected.
Before his formal announcement, Ellison had the backing of a host of Democrats in Congress, including Sanders, whose campaign caught on with disenchanted voters who also latched onto Trump's campaign. Ellison currently is chief deputy whip in the House Democratic leadership.
In making his formal announcement, Ellison pointed to high-profile endorsements he received from figures including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and incoming Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York.
"This election cycle, we did not motivate enough people to the ballot box," Ellison said in a statement. "We must champion the challenges of working families and give voters a reason to show up at the polls in 2018 and beyond."
Ellison vowed to make connecting with voters a priority "over everything else."
"We must invest in and empower our state and local parties by creating effective field operations, an enhanced and advanced voter file, and a culture of collaboration between candidates," Ellison said. "Let's put the voters first."
Ellison's message comes as Democrats question how their massive fundraising prowess failed to win control of either House or the White House.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean also offered to lead the DNC for a second time.
"The dems need organization and focus on the young. Need a fifty State strategy and tech rehab. I am in for chairman again," Dean wrote when he announced his bid on Twitter last week.
Elections for the DNC chairmanship are expected by March 1 following a presidential election year, according to its bylaws.
Former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz stepped down from the post just before the Democratic National Convention in July, just as the party was set to nominate Clinton under a banner of unity.
Her resignation came amid an uproar over purported DNC efforts to discredit Sanders' presidential campaign.
Interim DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile has also faced criticism over the election outcome.
