The District Chronicles

Issue date: 12/1/04 Section: COVER

As her name rings out as a lead candidate to chair the DNC, Donna Brazile looks at the bigger picture.

In the wake of the Democrats' stunning presidential election defeat, Donna Brazile has been suggested as a possible candidate to replace outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

But in an interview with the Amsterdam News, Brazile, a political strategist who ran Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, said that she doesn't want the job.

''I'm honored to be on anyone's list,'' said Brazile, 45. ''I want to rebuild the Democratic Party, but I have no interest in the job at this time.'' She said that the job might be well-suited for someone who currently resides outside of Washington D.C. and can bring fresh perspective to the party.

Democratic Party officials have been looking for a leader to help energize the party after Senator John Kerry was unable to defeat Bush and Democrats failed in their efforts to take back the Congress from Republicans. Brazile's name quickly surfaced as a viable candidate among other high-profile names, including former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and former Clinton aide Harold Ickes.

Brazile rose to international prominence when she became the first African-American woman to lead a major presidential campaign. She is currently chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute and teaches at Georgetown University. She started Brazile and Associates, a consulting firm whose mission is to empower grassroots advocates and train citizens to participate in the political process.

''Donna is one of the smartest, wittiest and most sensitive political operatives in the business,'' said Rep. Richard Gephardt, a retiring Democratic congressman from Missouri. ''She remains one of my favorite friends.''

Born poor in New Orleans, Brazile became interested in politics at the age of 16, though she faced numerous incidents of racism and sexism even as she climbed the ranks of Democratic Party politics. She recounts in her best-selling memoir, "Cooking With Grease," why she felt that African-Americans were disenfranchised in the 2000 presidential election. She said that there were widespread reports of voter intimidation and was glad that Al Gore, in the early portion of the evening, did not concede the presidency, even though major news networks had declared Bush the winner.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools