For Ellison, role with national Democrats a chance to rebuild local parties

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison of Minneapolis has traveled to some of the most reliably Republican parts of the country in recent weeks, using a new national leadership role to preach the message that Democrats shouldn't be writing off any political races, no matter how local.

As deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Ellison has promoted local Democratic candidates in Republican strongholds like Texas and Idaho. He's also traveled to GOP-tilting parts of Democratic-leaning states, building relationships with activists and candidates as they seek ways to drive up voter turnout in areas long written off to Republicans.

"People experience the Democratic Party not in Washington, D.C., but in their local communities, so that's where we have to go," Ellison said in an interview.

Often Ellison travels with DNC Chairman Tom Perez, who narrowly beat him in February for the top party post. Ellison has since moved to show that his role as deputy chairman is more than just symbolic, working with Perez to bring Democrats together around shared goals and ideals greater than simply blanket opposition to the agenda of President Donald Trump.

"You can see that they're looking to build the party from the bottom up," said Mayor Matt Doherty of Belmar, N.J., who attended a recent event with Ellison and Perez for a Democratic state Senate candidate in nearby Asbury Park, even though it's a traditional Republican bastion.

Democratic leaders from states as diverse as Michigan and Texas say they're looking to Minnesota as a model for how to engage more voters and build a stronger party in their own states. Minnesota had the highest voter turnout in the U.S. last year and is historically at or near the top.

Elected to Congress in 2006, Ellison represents Minneapolis and several of its suburbs. He had been prepared to resign his congressional seat had he been elected party chairman but now indicates he's likely to run for re-election next year. He said he still gets back to Minnesota every week despite his busy schedule and has plans to bring his activism to greater Minnesota, where large swaths of voters went for Trump and helped flip the Minnesota Legislature to GOP control in November.

Last weekend, Ellison visited Michigan, which has a Republican governor and Republican majorities in the Legislature. Voters there went for Trump after supporting President Barack Obama twice. He spoke at a big fundraising dinner and met with various Democratic constituencies.

Brandon Dillon, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said his organization has a plan for revival in line with Ellison's principles. Called Project 83, a reference to the number of counties in the state, it calls for rebuilding the bench of Democratic leaders and helping progressive candidates win nonpartisan races for local seats. They're trying to reinvest in local parties and hire organizers to be in the field year-round, even in areas that lean Republican.

"I think he was able to steal our message, frankly, tapping into people's economy anxiety," Dillon said of Trump. "We thought we could rely on the base in Michigan to get us over the top, and we learned a hard lesson that we have to talk to voters year-round."

Ellison visited New Hampshire last month, telling Democrats there to think bigger than Trump and voicing concern about a state Senate bill that the party believes would restrict voting rights. He has cultivated close relationships with Democrats in Texas, where voter turnout is among the lowest in the nation but where the party has made gains in recent elections.

While in Texas last month, Ellison and Perez visited Austin for a state party fundraiser and training summit for Democrats. The topic was how to engage constituencies, build an anti-Trump movement and work on community organizing.

Ellison's party-building efforts predate his time as DNC deputy chairman. Last fall, he helped raise more than $40,000 for a Democratic legislative candidate in Sugar Land, a Republican area outside Houston. Don Bankston, the local Democratic chairman, said Ellison energized the local South Asian Muslim community; while the Democrat lost, Bankston said, she narrowed previous losing margins.

"He's not just here to help with the presidential races, he's here to help with the local races," Bankston said.

Closer to home, Ellison is planning to speak at the Wisconsin Democratic Party's Founder's Day dinner in Milwaukee in May. He has been heavily involved in Wisconsin, which has swung hard toward Republicans in recent cycles.

Asked if he has bigger political ambitions, Ellison said he doesn't have any plans to leave his congressional seat. On Monday night he hosted a health care forum in Hopkins. Ellison believes his Hennepin County constituents understand that his current emphasis on politics is ultimately about increasing the power of Democrats in Washington.

"As I go around the country, it's very clear that if other states could replicate what we do in Minnesota, we would have a completely different political landscape," he said.