Baltimore Mayor Replaces Debbie Wasserman Schultz at Convention Podium

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has drawn her own share of controversy in the past year.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-BlakeTom Williams/Congressional Quarterly/Newscom via ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has officially gaveled in the first day of the Democratic National Convention, replacing outgoing Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the podium.

The Sun Sentinel reports that Wasserman Schultz asked Rawlings-Blake to replace her, ending speculation about the type of reception the DNC chair would have received from delegates on the floor this afternoon, after leaked emails revealed apparent favoritism toward Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in the DNC. Earlier today, Wasserman Schultz was booed during her speech at a Florida delegation breakfast.

But Wasserman Schultz’s replacement has also faced her share of criticism from the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. Rawlings-Blake drew significant criticism after her controversial handling of the unrest in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody last April. Rawlings-Blake currently serves as the secretary of the Democratic National Committee.

Wasserman Schultz, a congresswoman from Florida, announced her resignation from the DNC leadership on Sunday and will officially step down as chair after the convention ends on Thursday.

Today’s change at the podium is one of many signs that Wasserman Schultz will be a party leader in name only during this week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio will replace Wasserman Schultz as the official chair of the convention, and Donna Brazile, the DNC’s vice-chair for voter registration and participation, will serve as the interim DNC chair until a permanent replacement is named.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate