BURSTFormer Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Nate Snyder has launched a bid to chair the Democratic National Committee (DNC), becoming the fifth candidate to jump into the race.
“I left [DHS] on Thursday and now running for DNC chair,” Snyder said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“It's time to have the hard conversations, to reimagine, rebuild, and win. Our democracy depends on it,” he said.
Snyder said in an interview with Reuters that he decided to run after attending a meeting of state Democratic Party officials in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week.
"We can't repeat this, no matter what, because our democracy depends on it," Snyder told the outlet. "But it doesn't seem like anybody wants to actually sound the alarms."
"Education, loan forgiveness, putting food on the table, fighting for the little guy - we've sort of lost our way on that," he added.
Snyder joins declared candidates Minnesota Democratic Party Chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and New York State Sen. James Skoufis.
Snyder, who is Hispanic and Jewish, is the first candidate of color to enter the race.
The race comes as Democrats seek to chart a path forward following widespread losses in 2024.
The election for the new party chair and other leadership positions within the DNC is slated to be held on Feb. 1, during the party’s winter meeting at National Harbour, Md.
Additionally, the party will host four forums, both in person and virtually, for the candidates to make their cases to the sitting committee members. The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is set to meet on Dec. 12 to come up with a process for selecting Democratic Party officers.