DNC chair Tom Perez told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a Sunday morning interview that he will “absolutely not” resign despite criticism in light of the Iowa caucuses, which have yet to declare an official Democratic winner.
After saying that the Iowa caucuses debacle was “undeniably unacceptable” and that he’s “mad as hell,” Perez was asked if Iowa is on the verge of losing its first in the nation caucus status.
“Well, that’s the conversation that will absolutely happen after this election cycle,” Perez said. “And after the last election cycle, we had a conversation about two really important things, superdelegate reform, and the primary caucus issue that we’re discussing now. And that’s going to happen again, I have no doubt about it, because it’s very necessary.”
Asked if he takes any responsibility for the Iowa caucuses debacle, Perez replied “sure” but that “the Iowa Democratic Party runs the actual election.”
After Tapper pointed out that the DNC approved the plan, Perez said that the “DNC did a number of things in connection with the plan” and that it said no to a “virtual caucus” where people could vote over the phone due to cybersecurity concerns.
Perez added that the app that led Iowa’s Democratic Party to hold off on releasing results Monday night was “with hindsight, not nearly enough” pressure-tested.
Watch Perez’s remarks below:
DNC chair Tom Perez: "Absolutely not" resigning pic.twitter.com/pez2p4YJLX
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 9, 2020
