“It is a radical plan to drag us backwards, bankrupt the middle class, and raise prices on working class families like yours and mine,” State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said about Project 2025 at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024.
During a passionate speech, he said it’s now the younger generation’s turn to “defend our rights and ensure democracy doesn’t die on our watch.”
Although Donald Trump attempted to distance himself from Project 2025 during the last few months before the presidential election, now that he’s in office, the plan — including anti-trans actions — is quickly being implemented.
And Kenyatta — who was recently named one of three vice chairs for the Democratic National Committee — is ready to fight back. The North Philadelphia native who represents the 181st district is the first from that part of the city to become a national party leader.
“Are we going to roll over and play dead — or are we going to stand up, Democrats?” Kenyatta asked those gathered at a major party gathering on Feb. 1. “Are we going to give in when Republican extremists want to rip away Medicare and social security — or are we going to stand up, Democrats?”
“We’ve been tired for too long. We’ve been sad for too long,” he continued. “Stand up, Democrats! In this moment, are we going to give in to the cynicism of those who say we can’t or are we going to stand up together, Democrats?”
The meeting, which is convened every four years to elect new officers to lead the Democratic National Committee, welcomed 448 voting members. The group is comprised of two representatives from each state and 200 elected members.
Kenyatta won a whopping 298 votes. He will share the responsibility with David Hogg — a gun safety activist who survived the Parkland school shooting and Artie Blanco — a Nevada-based party leader who is known for Latino and union advocacy.
Ken Martin of Minnesota, who was the vice chair of Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, will serve as the organization’s chair.
“We have one team — the Democratic Party,” said Martin in his own victory speech. “We have one fight. The fight’s not in here. The fight is for our values. The fight is for working people. The fight right now is against Donald Trump and the billionaires who bought this country.”
Kenyatta later echoed a similar sentiment when he described the party as leaving the gathering in a more united spirit. He mentioned in his speech that some people are ready to give up on the Democratic party — but he’s ready for a revival.
He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the party’s response to Donald Trump’s presidency must be different than it has been in the past — underlining that Democrats must position themselves to fight back and to tell the stories of those who are most deeply affected by his policies if they hope to be effective.
“The policies that are coming out of this administration impact real people and their real lives,” Kenyatta said during an MSNBC appearance, emphasizing that Democrats need to do all that they can to de-center politicians and instead center people.
“We’re going to use the platform of the Democratic party to lift up those stories,” he underlined. “This is about one guy in the White House who does not give a damn about working people, and working people deserve an opportunity for [their] story to be heard.”
But Kenyatta also noted that Democrats can’t spend all of their time thinking about Trump — that they must be ready to win other races and implement a strategic vision for the future, noting during another MSNBC interview that they’re developing a strategy for the next ten years. He said it’s especially important to take control of Congress.
He also joked that he got his husband a dozen eggs for Valentine’s Day — “because that’s one of the most expensive things you can get right now.”
Kenyatta, who became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly when he was elected as a state representative in 2018, also became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to seek a U.S. Senate seat four years later.
He previously served as the chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans under President Joe Biden.
He recently lost his bid for state auditor general. But that’s obviously not slowing him down.“To my fellow DNC members — I will never forget the trust you’ve placed in me and this phenomenal team,” he tweeted after becoming vice chair. “We are going to revive this party and get sh*t done for our families!”