DNC chief to swing by to kick off local Biden re-election campaign

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who is from the Carolinas region, will be in downtown Rocky Mount today at the Nash County Democratic Party office, which also is going to serve as a shared office for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign.

Jaime Harrison is set to speak at the kick-off at 5 p.m., County Democratic Chairwoman Cassandra Conover said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

This will be the launch of a coordinated campaign based at the office, Conover said. The Nash County Democratic Party office is at the Station Square business and professional complex.

According to Conover, Harrison is coming in connection with a tour of a variety of places in the state.

Additionally, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who currently is serving as a national co-chair of the president’s re-election campaign, is going to be at the launch and is going to speak, Conover said.

Conover said Harrison and Landrieu coming will continue the excitement of her and her fellow Nash County Democrats “because we are unapologetically blue.”

Blue generally is a reference to the identification of Democrats, while red generally is a reference to the identification of Republicans.

“So, we are extremely happy that we have the attention of the Democratic National Committee and to have him (Harrison) present,” Conover said.

Conover also said that she is pleased the Nash County Democratic Party is going to be one of many offices being opened throughout the state as part of the coordinated campaign.

“North Carolina is on the map,” Conover said.

Conover also said that she hopes Harrison coming to Rocky Mount is going to provide an impact locally for the Nov. 5 general election given that Nash County Democratic Party has an extensive list of candidates set to be on the ballot.

“We are all in this together,” Conover said. “We vote up and down the ballot.”

The Democratic National Committee is composed of hundreds of Democratic Party leaders representing the states and U.S. territories. The DNC chairman typically is selected by the Democratic Party nominee for president and elected by the DNC.

Harrison has been serving as the DNC chairman since 2021. Harrison formerly served as chairman of South Carolina Democrats and in 2020 he unsuccessfully sought to unseat U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Harrison came from an economically struggling family, but he earned a degree from Yale University and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Harrison went on to work for U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat who became a key early supporter of what would become Biden’s successful 2020 campaign to defeat President Donald Trump.

Landrieu more recently served Biden as infrastructure implementation coordinator following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Landrieu served as mayor of New Orleans from 2010-18 and before that he served two terms as Louisiana’s lieutenant governor and 16 years as a Louisiana state legislator.

Landrieu is the son of the late Moon Landrieu, who was a former mayor of New Orleans and a former federal secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Mitch Landrieu also is the brother of former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.