UPDATE: Tom Perez appoints Keith Ellison Deputy Chair. This is not surprising — Perez is notorious for his work at the DoJ in support of sharia initiatives. As Assistant Attorney General at the Justice Department, Tom Perez had a shameful record of pro-sharia initiatives and craven accommodation to Islamic supremacists at the DoJ.
Perez refused to answer questions whether DoJ would advance a proposal to criminalize speech against any religion. He refused to commit to the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution that it would never advance a law criminalizing the right to criticize any religion.
UPDATE: Hakim Muhammad defeated. Tom Perez takes it!
UPDATE: Ballot #2 for DNC Chair being counted.
Ironically, the DNC won’t allow electronic voting. Paper ballots only? The Democrats explain by saying electronic voting could invite interference and was not reliable. They ought to know. They interfere and often.
“Dems are passing out paper ballots. There were groans when Brazile informed members they would not use the electronic voting system because it could invite “interference” and was not reliable.
The vote counting will take a while but round one is underway.”
If the Hamas Congressman wins, the lines are very clearly drawn – the party of freedom versus the party of treason.
Live updates on the Democratic National Committee chair vote in Atlanta. via The Hill
3:00 p.m.
Former DNC chairman Howard Dean, a Buttigieg backer, sent an email to DNC members saying he will now back Ellison. His statement nods to the earlier controversy of the Ellison campaign claiming they had Buttigieg’s endorsement, even though they don’t:
“This is Governor Howard Dean. I believe that Keith Ellison would be the most likely person to be able to successfully bring in the first global generation to the Democratic Party. (This is real)”
2:53 p.m.
Perez backer tells me they've picked up five and will triumph on second ballot…so long as there is no erosion….
— Jonathan Easley (@JonEasley) February 25, 2017
2:37 p.m.
Text from Ellison campaign source: We're gonna win on second ballot…folks who didn't vote and Boynton Brown backes going their way
— Jonathan Easley (@JonEasley) February 25, 2017
2:30 p.m.
Perez came very close to winning DNC chair on the first ballot. There were 427 votes cast, making the threshold for victory 214.5 votes. (Some Democrats abroad and from the territories only get half votes.)
Perez received 213.5 votes. Ellison got 200.
The crowd is stunned. A second round of balloting is about to get underway.
Idaho Democrat Boynton Brown dropped out and did not endorse. Air Force veteran Ronan dropped out and backed Ellison. Former DNC official Greene dropped out and backed Perez. Lawyer Petkarsky also dropped out and backed Ellison.
Only Ellison and Perez remain.The tension inside the room is off the charts.2:20 p.m.
After the first balloting, Perez falls a single vote short of winning. The race will proceed to a second ballot.
Perez received 213.5 votes, one ballot short of the 214.5 threshold to win. Ellison received 200 votes.
2:15 p.m.
A DNC member forwarded The Hill a text from the Ellison campaign touting a Buttigieg endorsement: “Keith is grateful to have the support of Mayor Buttigieg and we’re in a strong position to win on the next ballot. Can he count on your support?”The problem: Buttigieg did not publicly endorse Ellison, sowing confusion among members. Two sources have told The Hill that the Ellison camp has corrected the erroneous text.
1:55 p.m.
Adam Green, an Ellison supporter and the founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, slammed the decision to use paper ballots. The move could give fuel to Ellison backers to argue that the vote was not on the level.
1:40 p.m.
The ballots are being collected. Vote counting will begin shortly.
Donna Brazile will not vote for DNC chair That means 441 eligible votes, 221 to win.
— Jonathan Easley (@JonEasley) February 25, 2017
1:29 p.m.
Dems are passing out paper ballots. There were groans when Brazile informed members they would not use the electronic voting system because it could invite “interference” and was not reliable.The vote counting will take a while but round one is underway.1:17 p.m.
DNC has apparently abandoned the electronic voting system here. Paper allots only in election for chair. This could take a while.
— Jonathan Easley (@JonEasley) February 25, 2017
12:50 p.m.
South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg drops out of the race, stunning the crowd. He is gay, 35-years-old a Rhodes Scholar, a military veteran and viewed by many as a next generation star of the party.
Buttigieg didn’t make an endorsement.
Buttigieg comported himself well at the debate. He is a polished speaker and debate and will have some role in the national party moving forward.
By dropping out instead of being voted out, he was allowed to give a farewell speech in which he encouraged Democrats to “pay attention to communities like ours in the heart of the country not as an exotic species but as everyday Americans.”
Buttigieg encouraged Democrats to engage with the next generation of liberals.
“There’s nothing wrong with our bench, we just haven’t called enough people off the bench and asked them to get on the field,” he said.
12:36 p.m.
It is clear who has the energy here. Ellison’s supporters are loud and in charge and erupting at every chance.
“Don’t mourn organize!,” declared Ellison backer and labor leader Randi Weingarten to an outburst of shouts and applause.
Minnesota Democratic leader Ken Martin followed, noting that Ellison’s district has gone from the lowest turnout in the state to the highest. “This party is going to rise from the ashes under Keith Ellison,” he said, turning out another standing ovation.
Like Perez, Ellison stressed unity.
“Unity is essential, we have to walk out here unified, not just between the candidates but the groups that support all the candidates,” Ellison said.
But if Ellison doesn’t win his enthusiastic supporters are going to be extremely let down.
12:18 p.m.
Perez takes the stage for a spirited address that stressed party unity.
“We are one family and I know we will leave here united today…. no matter who wins I know we’ll cross the finish line together because a united Democratic Party is not only our best hope, it’s a Donald Trump nightmare.”
Expect to hear that message a lot today, as Democrats are fearful that the divisions in the party will persist beyond Atlanta.
12:20 p.m.
Allies for the candidates are giving their nominating speeches. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti goes first, speaking on behalf of Perez, calling him “mi hermano” — “my brother” — and “one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.” Garcetti touted Perez’s work as Labor secretary, saying he repeatedly fought for workers’ rights in California.
South Carolina Democratic chairman Jaime Harrison followed. Harrison pulled out of the race on Thursday to back Perez and his supporters – more than a dozen – all went with him. Many believe they could put Perez over the top.
“When I look at Tom Perez I see a fellow fights, someone who gives me so much hope for my party’s future, for my country’s future, for my son’s future,” Harrison said.
12:08 p.m.
Here is a look at the clicker Democrats will use to register their votes, courtesy of Frank Leone, a DNC member from Virginia. Members will also fill out paper ballots that will be collected for a later audit.
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