James Skoufis Eyes 'Obvious Conflicts of Interest' in Bid for DNC Chair

James Skoufis, a New York state senator who is running to lead the Democratic National Committee (DNC), wants to take on "obvious conflict in interests" in how the party spends its money.

The DNC is set to elect a new leader in February, as current chair Jaime Harrison announced he would step aside at the end of his current term. The DNC chair race will be the party's first test of how it plans to rebuild itself after Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to Donald Trump in this year's presidential election.

Skoufis is billing himself as an outsider candidate who would be able to shake up the party, which he believes needs to shift its messaging to rebuild relationships with voters across the country.

Other candidates running to lead the DNC include Minnesota-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, former Maryland Governor and Social Security Administrator Martin O'Malley and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Winkler. U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel is also among those speculated to be mulling a run.

New York State Senator James Skoufis speaks in New York City on October 28, 2021. Skoufis told Newsweek that he wants to shake up the DNC in his outsider bid to lead the party. Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Media Assets, Inc. via Getty Images

Skoufis told Newsweek on Tuesday that he believes his status as an outsider candidate would give him a "fresh perspective" to fix "significant structural problems" in the DNC.

He touted his ability to win in a Republican-leaning district comprised of mostly rural and suburban areas, despite Trump carrying the area by double-digits.

"For far, far too long, our party has been getting ripped off by the consultant class in Washington, D.C., who have been like hogs at the trough, just borderline stealing money from our Democratic Party," Skoufis said. "In fact, there are some DNC delegate DNC members, rather who themselves, their companies are contracted with the DNC in very obvious conflict of interest."

If he becomes DNC chair, Skoufis said he would "allow every vendor contract to expire" and end "sweetheart deals" with well-connected consultants and firms. Fundraising and money management are key priorities for the DNC. Although Democrats like Harris had no issue raising money this year, record-breaking fundraising didn't translate to success at the ballot box.

"We're going to go out to rebid. We're going to find savings, and importantly, we're going to shift a lot of money to the boots on the grounds and our folks in the trenches, like the state parties, like the county parties, new partnerships with organized labor and allied civic groups," Skoufis said.

Skoufis said running against more well-known names will have its challenges, noting that most of his conversations with DNC members so far have been largely introductory.

The next DNC chair will be inheriting a party that was fractured following the 2024 election, which saw Democrats underperform with key voter groups that have long backed the party, including Hispanic voters, Asian-American voters and young voters.

The party is also divided on ideological lines. Many Democrats feel the party has lost ground because it is perceived as too liberal on some social issues, but progressives say Harris' tacking to the center cost her.

Skoufis, however, said the party shouldn't examine itself through these "labels," which aren't necessarily how most Americans identify themselves.

"The vast majority of the American electorate does not wake up in the morning and go and brush their teeth, look themselves in the mirror and say, 'good morning moderate self,' or 'good morning progressive self.' That's just not how people identify themselves or their politics," Skoufis said.

He said his focus would be on repairing the party's "frayed" big tent, meeting with groups that were once solidly Democrat but are less so in 2024, such as the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), which declined to endorse Harris.

As DNC chair, Skoufis said he would visit communities and speak to media outlets that have been "less than friendly to Democrats," saying that Democrats need to show up "everywhere again."

"It begins with meeting people where they are," Skoufis said. "It begins by being present in every single corner of this country and it begins by rebuilding that trust. We have a reputational deficit in the National Democratic Party, and the next DNC chair has to work to rebuild all of those bridges."