California Democrats elected Los Angeles labor leader Rusty Hicks as the party's chair on Saturday in a vote at the party convention in San Francisco.
Hicks, the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, will be tasked with continuing the party's electoral success, while reforming the organization's internal culture after months of turmoil.
And after defeating progressive activist Kimberly Ellis in the chair election, Hicks will be in charge of healing any lingering resentment between supporters of the two leading candidates.
After the votes of more than 3,000 delegates were tallied on Saturday night, Hicks won 57 percent of the vote, while Ellis finished with 36 percent,
"Everyone, including me, thought that with seven candidates running for Party Chair that the race would result in a runoff," Hicks said in a statement. "I am humbled by the outcome."