Philly’s Malcolm Kenyatta wins high-ranking DNC seat

This story originally appeared in The Philadelphia Tribune

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta won one of three vice-chair positions at Saturday’s Democratic National Committee officer elections Saturday in Baltimore.

The Democrats elected new party leaders following disappointing results in the national elections in November. Kenyatta spoke during the Democratic National Convention last summer and launched a national campaign for a leadership position following the presidential election. He held in-person and virtual forums to meet with members before being nominated by state party chair state Sen. Sharif Street. Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg and Nevada DNC member Artie Blanco won the other two vice-chair seats.

As the first national leader from North Philadelphia and the first from the city in such a high position since former mayor and governor Ed Rendell served as national party chair from 1999 to 2001, Kenyatta has pledged to focus on the needs of those he grew up with and represents.

Kenyatta credits his work in the 181st House District as giving him the preparation he needs for this new role, one that he plans to use to elevate the concerns of working-class Americans.

“North Philly is a place where you have working people who tell you exactly what they think, and who recognize we’re getting less than we deserve,” he said in a phone interview Monday. “This campaign was about a recognition that if we are going to change outcomes for people I love best in the world, make people in our community have the security they deserve, if we’re going to make sure Philadelphia has the things we need. Politics is a math problem, and what I believe is we have to elect more Democrats at this moment.”

Kenyatta credited a conversation with his grandmother, the widow of civil rights leader and former mayoral candidate Muhammad I. Kenyatta, with giving him the impetus to pursue solutions in the Black community that she thought were already solved. He brought up the need to address gun violence, housing insecurity and underfunded schools. He also stressed the need to maintain support in communities of color as they come under fire by President Donald Trump and his desire to eliminate DEI and other measures that protect historically underserved communities.

“There have been talking heads and others who have suggested Democrats should walk away from our commitment that everybody should be treated with dignity and respect,” he said. “I ask rhetorically, ‘Who the hell should we leave behind?’ Should we leave behind the young Black guy in West Philly who has a good idea and wants to start a business and is locked out of lending institutions because of historic barriers? Should we stop talking about the impact of redlining? I think the answer is no. I think the answer is the Democratic Party is going to continue to fight for everybody.”

Street said he marshaled support for his former staffer by getting every party member from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to sign Kenyatta’s petition. The two met when Kenyatta was eight and Street spoke to his class. Street called the state rep. a “dynamo” in his efforts to win this seat and believed Kenyatta’s energy and youth will benefit the party.

“Malcolm has an underrepresented perspective, growing up in North Philadelphia in a single-parent household,” Street said in a phone interview Monday. “Malcolm is young, more than anything else, and we are desperately in need of getting young voices engaged and involved in the national party.”

Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, won the chair and succeeded Jaime Harrison from South Carolina. Kenyatta pointed out that Martin is undefeated in statewide races as party chair in Minnesota. Reyna Walters-Morgan won the vice-chair for civic engagement and voter participation, after having served as an appointee in the Biden-Harris administration.

“I am excited to see Philadelphian’s own Malcolm Kenyatta elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. I know Malcolm and he is prepared to meet this moment. I look forward to working with him to build and strengthen our Democratic party locally and nationally,” said Mayor Cherelle Parker in a statement to The Philadelphia Tribune Monday evening.