<p>As Republicans celebrate a trifecta of victories in the White House, Democratic leaders are scrambling to choose a new chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). ;</p>
<p>The DNC Chair is &ldquo;a key position that will determine the direction of the party&rdquo; reports <em>Fox News&rsquo;</em> Bryan Llenas. The current favorite is Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, a 53-year-old African American with alleged ties to Louis Farrakhan&rsquo;s Nation of Islam.</p>
<p>Ellison&#8217;s 2006 run for Congress was affected by his religious past, and <em>Fox News</em> points out that he used to refer to himself as &ldquo;Keith X Ellison&rdquo; and &ldquo;Keith Ellison-Muhammed.&rdquo;  ;</p>
<p>Ellison has also been criticized for comparing Bush to Hitler and calling affirmative action a &ldquo;sneaky&rdquo; form of compensation for slavery. ;</p>
<p>Even so, &#8220;democrats believe he represents a young, diverse, and more progressive direction and stands in stark contrast to some of president-elect Trump&rsquo;s most controversial campaign promises, like that Muslim ban,&#8221; says Llenas. ;</p>
<p>Ellison backed Bernie Sanders during the primaries and credits the Vermont Senator for sparking a revolution. &ldquo;Together we call for climate justice, racial justice, wage justice.&#8221;</p>
<p>He argues that the party must shift its focus from donors to the middle- and working- class. &ldquo;Voters have to be our focus, not donors,&rdquo; says Ellison. &ldquo;The guys in the barber shop, the lady at the diner, the folks who are worried about whether that plant will close&hellip; they&rsquo;ve got to be our focus.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Progressives are blaming Hillary Clinton for losing touch with the working class, but party moderates worry that Ellison will move the party too far to the left. ;</p>
<p>Ellison has serious support, however, and has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Harry Reid, and Chuck Schumer.</p>
<p>Former DNC Chair Howard Dean agrees that it&rsquo;s time for some restructuring. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to reach out to young people, we&rsquo;ve got to re-do the Democratic National Committee.&#8221;</p>
<p>Dean has also put his name in the hat, but says that he would &ldquo;be happier in a supportive role.&rdquo; Other potential candidates include California Rep. Xavier Becerra and former Maryland Governor Martin O&rsquo;Malley. ;</p>
<p>We must have a &ldquo;full-time chair,&rdquo; insists Dean, and Ellison &ldquo;can&rsquo;t be a congressman and a chair at the same time.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Ellison is confident that he can handle both positions at once and is expected to announce his bid for DNC Chair on Monday.</p>