U.S. Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez stands as President Barack Obama (not pictured) introduces him to be his next labor secretary, at the White House in Washington, March 18, 2013. Before joining the Justice Department in 2009, Perez was Maryland's labor secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, he will replace Hilda Solis, who resigned in January. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) - RTR3F5QC
While some turnover was expected, this top to bottom move represents a concession that the party whiffed on identifying their voters and getting them to the polls.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has launched a major overhaul of the party’s organization, which has been stung by recent crises — and the DNC has requested resignation letters from all current staffers.
Party staff routinely see major turnover with a new boss and they had been alerted to expect such a move. However, the mass resignation letters will give Perez a chance to completely remake the DNC’s headquarters from scratch. Staffing had already reached unusual lows following a round of post-election layoffs in December.
Immediately after Perez’s selection as party chairman in late February, an adviser to outgoing DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile, Leah Daughtry, asked every employee to submit a letter of resignation dated April 15, according to multiple sources familiar with the party’s internal workings.