Jaime Harrison elected Democratic National Committee chair

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Former South Carolina Democratic Party Chair and Senate candidate Jaime Harrison was officially elected chair of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday.

Harrison won the organization's election in a near-unanimous vote after being selected by President Joe Biden for the job and pledged to help the Democratic Party maintain its majorities through the upcoming election cycles, including the 2022 midterms.

"I have no intention of letting victory turn into complacency, because we have seen what happens when we don't invest everywhere," he said. "I plan to get to work to lift up the Biden-Harris administration, build on our progress and strengthen our party."

Following November's election, Democrats control the presidency, the House and effectively hold a majority in a Senate split 50-50 between the two parties as Vice President Kamala Harris holds the deciding vote in the event of a tie.

Harrison said as head of the DNC he would seek to implement a "50-state and seven-territory strategy" urging the Democratic candidates to compete in Republican strongholds.

"We are done looking at the map, ignoring the red while we focus on a few purple areas," he said. "We are done with just focusing on our cities while forgetting those who live on dirt roads."

In addition to Harrison taking on the role of DNC chair, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will serve as vice chair of civic engagement and voter protection, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Rep. Filemon Vela Jr. of Texas will also serve as vice chairs.

Former DNC Chair Tom Perez predicted "hard days ahead" for Democrats.

"We've got challenges that I've already articulated. We know in midterm election cycles when we have the house and the senate and the White House, sometimes you run into headwinds," he said.