District 34 U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela has been named by President-elect Joe Biden as a vice chairman on the Democratic National Committee in an announcement made late Thursday.
Also tapped for DNC vice chairmanships alongside Vela were Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Biden named as DNC chairman Jamie Harrison, a former South Carolina Democratic chairman and a current DNC associate chairman.
Biden’s announcement describes Vela as someone who has “spent his career fighting for immigrant rights, service members and under-served communities” and witnessed first-hand the impact on the Latino community of the “destructive policies from the Trump administration.” The announcement noted that Vela has served on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Vela was among a slate of eight DNC officers announced by Biden Thursday.
“This group of individuals represents the very best of the Democratic Party,”he said. “Their stories and long histories of activism and work reflect our party’s values and the diversity that make us so strong. As our country faces multiple crises from systemic racism to the COVID-19 pandemic, working families in America need and deserve real leadership. We need to elect Democrats across our country and up and down the ballot. To do that is going to take tireless leadership, committed to strengthening Democratic infrastructure across our states. These leaders are battle-tested and ready for this immense task. I know they will get the job done.”
