The Democratic establishment would rather lose than allow the left to lead

Keeping Sanders Democrats down is priority number one for DNC elites

Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, right, and Rep. Keith Ellison, who was named deputy chairman
(Image credit: AP Photo/Branden Camp)

The Democratic National Committee narrowly elected former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez as its chairman on Saturday. The vote capped off what had become a fairly rancorous race between him and Keith Ellison, the left-wing House representative from Minnesota.

There are many lessons to take home here. But the key one is what this episode reveals about the thinking of the Democratic Party establishment. They would rather lose in 2018 and 2020 than allow the party's left wing to lead.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.