Former U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly to serve as state’s DNC delegation chair

Joe Donnelly

Former Indiana U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly will serve as the state’s delegation chair at this year’s Democratic National Convention, the Indiana Democratic Party announced Monday.

The convention will be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

Donnelly, 68, was chosen chair by a majority of the Indiana delegates who will be attending the national convention. He most recently served as ambassador to the Vatican from 2021 until last week.

According to Politico, Donnelly announced in May he would be stepping down as ambassador and returning to the United States.

He served as U.S. Senator for Indiana from 2013-2019 and as the state’s 2nd Congressional District representative in the U.S. House from 2007-2013.

“I’m honored to be leading our delegation in Chicago for what is sure to be a historic Democratic National Convention,” Donnelly said in a news release. “We owe President Joe Biden a debt of gratitude for profound public service to our country, and the incredible job he has done as president.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Biden’s announcement Sunday that he has withdrawn his candidacy for a second term, throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

This creates unexpected complications for the party delegates, who will meet virtually this week to begin the process of officially nominating a new candidate, with the election just a few months away.

Donnelly, a 1981 University of Notre Dame Law School graduate, was most recently a partner with the Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld firm in Washington, D.C.