Democratic National Committee CEO Quits Less Than a Year Into Job

The Democratic National Committee’s CEO is leaving after spending less than a year in the role, NBC News reports. Jess O’Connell took over the top spot in May, shortly after DNC Chair Tom Perez took office. She plans to leave next month, calling the decision a personal one. “While I’ve made the decision to pass the baton, our work remains far from over and under Tom Perez’s leadership and direction, our party will continue to build on the progress we’ve made in 2017,” she said in a statement to NBC. The DNC fired finance director Emily Mellencamp Smith in November, just five months into her job, likely due to a year of weak fundraising.