After a scandal following the release of thousands of emails, Debbie Wasserman resigned as the chair of the Democratic National Convention and is being replaced by Ohio Representative Marcia Fudge.
Fudge endorsed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in February. She’s served the 11th Congressional District since 2008.
“I thank Hillary Clinton & team for recommending me to serve as the permanent chair of the 2016 Democratic National Convention,” Fudge said in a tweet Saturday. And in another, “It is an honor for me and the people of Ohio. I am happy to serve [and] look forward to a great convention.”
Fudge was picked after the former chair of the Democratic National Convention, Debbie Wasserman, was caught in a scandal accusing the DNC of favoring Clinton over opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders and ultimately sabotaging his campaign.
“She asked me and I committed to her that I would serve as a surrogate throughout this campaign so that we can make sure that she is able to build on the progress that we’ve been able to make for the last eight years, because we have a lot of work to do,” Wasserman told ramped up Bernie supporters before announcing her resignation Monday.
Clinton and Wasserman critics could be heard booing and yelling “Shame!” as Wasserman spoke. The spectacle threatens a further divide in the party after attempts at unity have already been made. While Sanders himself has said he’s with her, his supporters are slow to follow.
Facebook posts from the Senator routinely have comments asking him to renege on his endorsement. Many are planning to vote for Green Party Candidate Jill Stein or Libertarians Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, who released their own campaign ad last month.
As the DNC kicks off this week we’ll see how the party is doing in maintaining unity, and if this first step in replacing Wasserman with a less-hated chair will make Bernie supporters any more forgiving.