The American Democratic Party has its new leader. Tom Perez, a close relative of Barack Obama, was elected to head the party on Saturday in Atlanta and his roadmap is clear: thwart the plans of President Donald Trump and the Republican majority in Congress and reorganize his camp. Winner of the second round of voting with 235 votes (out of 435 voters), he immediately and skillfully reached out to the party's "Bernie Sanders" wing, naming his main opponent, Keith Ellison, who won 200 votes, to the number two position.
Donald Trump's swift response
Born in the United States of parents from the Dominican Republic, the former Secretary of Labor became the first Hispanic at the age of 55 to take the lead of the party. Sarcastic, Donald Trump immediately congratulated the Democrats for choosing "tom perez" ironically on Twitter: "I could not be happier for him, or for the Republican Party!".
Congratulations to Thomas Perez, who has just been named Chairman of the DNC. I could not be happier for him, or for the Republican Party!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
"Call me Tom. And do not rejoice too much," retorted one who was one of the finalists for Hillary Clinton's vice president, promising him that the new leadership of the party and "the Democrats united in the whole country will be your worst nightmare ".
Call me Tom. And don't get too happy. @keithellison and I, and Democrats united across the country, will be your worst nightmare. https://t.co/fu7WvLofrD
— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) February 25, 2017
Rejuvenate and reunify the Democratic Party
Barack Obama, who left power on January 20, immediately welcomed the election of his friend, convinced that he could bring his political family together and "bring forth a new generation of leaders." Tom Perez will have the daunting task of rejuvenating and reunifying the Democratic party, which was deeply divided from the struggle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders during the primaries for the presidential election.
Perez’s experience in electoral politics is thin — he served on the Montgomery county council, and tried running for attorney general of Maryland but had his candidacy blocked due to residency issues.
While the wave of anti-Trump demonstrations has not weakened since coming to power, Democrats want to convert this energy into electoral power for the November 2018 legislative elections and the 2020 presidential election.
