DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement the 2020 nominating process would be „unquestionably fair and transparent.“
WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) – The head of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday vowed to ensure all candidates have an equal chance to win the Democratic presidential nomination after a former party chair accused the committee of rigging the process to aid Hillary Clinton in 2016.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement the 2020 nominating process would be „unquestionably fair and transparent.“
Perez made his comments after former DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile said in an opinion piece in Politico earlier this week that the nomination process had been „rigged“ in Clinton’s favor after she signed a fundraising agreement with the DNC in 2015.
Clinton, a former U. S. senator and first lady, beat Senator Bernie Sanders for the nomination but lost the election to Republican Donald Trump in November 2016.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN this week that Perez needed to assure Democrats, including supporters of Sanders, that the process was fair and she agreed that the 2016 nominating process was „rigged.“
Perez said he is „more committed than ever before to restoring voters’ faith in our democratic process because even the perception of impartiality or an unfair advantage undermines our ability to win. That is unacceptable.“
Sanders‘ campaign manager Jeff Weaver told CNN this week he thought the debate schedule was „rigged.“
Perez said the party will „decide the debate schedule in advance, instead of negotiating it after all our candidates have entered the race“ and „any and all joint fundraising agreements will be transparent.“
Related: Possible contenders for 2020
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People who might run against Trump in 2020
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People who might run against Trump in 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
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Sen. Kamala Davis (D-Calif.)
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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
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Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-N. J.)
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
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Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley
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Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro
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Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
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Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.)
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Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.)
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban
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Environmental activist Tom Steyer
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Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez
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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton
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Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe
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California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom
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Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg
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Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz
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Former first lady Michelle Obama
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Dwayne „The Rock“ Johnson
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Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii)
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Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)
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Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y)
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California Gov. Jerry Brown
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Media mogul Oprah Winfrey
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Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)
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Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Former Vice President Al Gore
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Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)
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Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.)
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
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Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.)
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New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
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Leaked emails in 2016 suggested the party had actively favored Clinton over Sanders.
Former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook on Friday denied the nomination had been rigged in Clinton’s favor.
„Hillary Clinton won this primary with almost 4 million votes,“ Mook told CNN. „The idea that the DNC could rig a contest frankly is laughable.“
Brazile, who replaced former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz last year after a furor over the contents of the leaked emails, also wrote she contemplated proposing to replace Clinton as the party’s 2016 presidential nominee, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
The Post said she considered replacing Clinton with then-Vice President Joe Biden after Clinton fainted in September 2016.
