Some Democrats look to Keith Ellison, first Muslim congressman, to lead charge against Trump

Following Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, Republicans will control the White House, Senate, House and a majority of governorships and statehouses, leaving Democrats to decide on which direction to take their party. If some of the more prominent Democratic voices get their say, the man leading the charge at the party’s national committee would be Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison.

Ellison has not confirmed he’s in the running for the chairmanship post, but he has a Monday announcement planned. If he does win the Democratic National Committee’s top job, it would be a striking development in the aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump in Tuesday’s election.

Notably, Ellison is Muslim, and Trump during the campaign proposed barring all Muslims from entering the U.S. Additionally, Ellison comes from the liberal wing of the party that backed Bernie Sanders over Clinton in the Democratic primary this year. His ascendency would be a signal that the national Democratic establishment would likely be more open to Sanders-like candidates in the future.

So who is Ellison? The former state lawmaker won Minnesota’s Sixth District in 2006, becoming the first Muslim to serve in Congress. He’s the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is popular in his heavily Democratic home district (composed mostly of Minneapolis), where he won 69 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election.

As Democrats ponder who should take over the DNC after interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile departs, Ellison’s supporters can point to a Sunday morning television appearance last year.

On a July 2015 episode of ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos,” Ellison said the following about a recently declared candidate for the presidency:

“Anybody from the Democratic side of the fence who’s terrified of the possibility of President Trump better vote, better get active, better get involved, because this man has some momentum and we better be ready for the fact he might be leading the Republican ticket.”

The other panelists on the show laughed out loud at his comments, and Stephanopoulos said, “I know you don’t believe that.” Here’s a clip of the exchange:

Sanders, the Vermont senator whose progressive policies earned him a large following during the course of the 2016 Democratic primaries, voiced his support for Ellison on Thursday. In a statement on his website, Sanders said, “We need a Democratic National Committee led by a progressive who understands the dire need to listen to working families, not the political establishment or the billionaire class.”

Ellison and Sanders share many of the same policies. The Minnesota lawmaker is an advocate for debt-free college, a $15 minimum wage and supporting the Obama administration’s Iran agreement. He is also an opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the trade deals that Trump spent much of his time on the trail campaigning against.

Sanders’ opinion was echoed Thursday night by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

“I think he’s terrific, and I think he would make a terrific DNC chair,” Warren said in an MSNBC interview with Rachel Maddow.

While it is not surprising that two of the most prominent progressives in the Democratic Party support Ellison, he also appears to have the backing of New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who will replace the retiring Harry Reid as the ranking Democrat in the Senate. According to a Politico report:

Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is backing Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to be the next head of the Democratic National Committee, a big boost for the Minnesota Democrat as the party searches for a new leader. Schumer spoke with Ellison Thursday afternoon and “supports him for chair,” according to a source close to Schumer, who added: “Without a Democratic White House, Schumer’s view is the DNC is where grassroots organizing in sync with leg battles should be organized.”

At this moment it looks like the main competitor for the position could be former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Dean ran the DNC from 2005 to 2009, focusing on a 50-state strategy to compete across the nation in state, local and federal races. Under Dean, the Democrats regained control of the Senate and House in 2006 and then the White House in 2008. One of Dean’s arguments is that the chairmanship is a full-time job, and Ellison wouldn’t be able to do it while also serving in Congress.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said in a statement Friday that he also was “taking a hard look” at running for the position.