Ex-DNC leader Perez launches bid for Maryland governor

Perez also was Labor secretary in the Obama administration.
DNC Chair Tom Perez.
By Nicholas Sherman

Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has formally launched his bid for Maryland governor.

Perez, who also was President Obama's Labor secretary, announced his bid Wednesday via video.

"I want to build a Maryland where everyone has access to quality education and quality affordable health care. Where ZIP code never determines destiny. A Maryland where everyone has access to a good job, where unions thrive and small businesses succeed," Perez said in his video, according to The Hill.

The video also features an endorsement from Obama and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vicki Schultz.

"He is tireless," Obama says about Perez. "He is wicked smart. I mean, if you look at his body of work on behalf of working people, he has been extraordinary."

It is unclear who Perez will face in the election slated for 2022 because the current Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, cannot run again due to term limits.

Perez is likely to face a crowded Democratic primary, going up against John King Jr., a former Education secretary under Obama, state Comptroller Peter Franchot, and former state Attorney General Doug Gansler, among others.