Ms. Williamson, 72, most likely faces long odds in her bid for party chair. A number of party officials, including the former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, are jostling for the job. The current chair, Jaime Harrison, is not seeking re-election. Ms. Williamson is the first woman to formally enter the race.

I feel that in order for the Democrats to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of our electoral defeat, we need to look at more than just the outer issues, such as data analysis and field organizing and fundraising,