The Democratic National Committee will begin its reconstruction project

Democrats will begin the process of rebuilding their leadership Thursday afternoon when a subgroup of the Democratic National Committee meets in Washington to set the rules for electing a new party chairman to succeed Jamie Harrison.

The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will set procedural guidelines for the brewing race to lead the national party’s campaign and fundraising arm that is mired in introspection and pointing fingers at Joe’s vulnerabilities and pitfalls Biden and Kamala. Harris’ bids for the White House and who exactly should take the blame.

Some details are expected to be released Thursday, including when four candidate forums, effectively mini-debates, will take place, and whether any of them will be moderated on live television, as well as voting procedures . Carrying out these elections will be one of the final acts of the current RBC, chaired by Minyon Moore and Jim Roosevelt Jr., as a new party chairman could shake up membership.

And the candidates have only eight weeks to present their case to the 447 members of the organization, who must elect their new leader on February 1.

The field, currently made up of five men – four white and one Latino – could become even busier in the new year. But for now, the declared candidates are: Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota (DFL); former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley; New York State Senator James Skoufis; and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler. And former Department of Homeland Security staffer Nate Snyder announced his candidacy Wednesday.

To qualify for the next forums, these candidates must have at least 40 members supporting their candidacy via petition.

Many candidates are expected to be present at Thursday’s meeting.

Similar to running for public office — or possibly a school board — candidates hire staff, launch their own websites, hand out giveaways and begin working the phones behind the scenes to get the nearly 230 votes needed to win . Martin’s team, for example, is nicknamed KNOT – Ken’s National Organizing Team.

Perhaps the most familiar name among DNC members is Martin, who serves as vice president of the organization alongside his role at the DFL. He is also an active member of the RBC and has long ties to party building at the national and local level. Martin’s campaign confirmed to ABC News that he has more than 100 endorsements from DNC members.

Wikler, another Midwesterner, also has a prominent name and is a popular choice across the party spectrum, supported by centrist Third Way and far-left groups like MoveOn and Bold Progressive on the same day. Wikler also joined Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” earlier this week.

“Ben is an unstoppable unifier, organizer and messenger who knows how to win tough elections,” Brianna Johnson, Ben Wikler’s spokesperson for DNC chairman, told ABC News. “Since becoming chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party – in a 50-50 state – Wisconsin Democrats have won 7 of the last 10 statewide elections, raising more money than any other party state during the same period and set about regaining power in a state once rigged by Republicans.

O’Malley and Skoufis also appeared on cable news channels to up their deals, portraying themselves as not beholden to Washington’s donor class.

Internally, Martin’s network appears to be working to his advantage, said a DNC staffer familiar with the candidates who was granted anonymity to speak freely about the process.

“He is working the phones with multiple calls to undecided members of the DNC, and is running a strong surrogate campaign to do the same thing. His network as ASDC chair seems to be working to his advantage, although it appears he has hit a wall when it comes to support,” the DNC member said.

In contrast, that same member claims that they and a handful of other members they have spoken with have yet to hear from O’Malley by phone — just by email.

“I haven’t heard of anyone he’s spoken to, unlike the Martin and Wikler campaigns who are actively vote flogging,” the DNC member said.

An aide to O’Malley told ABC News that the former Maryland governor recently resigned as Social Security Administration commissioner to run for the DNC role, and that his team is working around the clock 24 to reach 447 members.

“Democrats are looking for an operational leader and in this competition, it’s Martin O’Malley,” the aide said. “He presents himself as a changemaker and not a gatekeeper with a track record as mayor, governor and commissioner of bringing people together to succeed.” said the assistant.

A dark horse candidate could also shake up the dynamic, leaving the possibility of a race wide open. The DNC executive committee will meet Friday, although little news is expected from this smaller meeting.