Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.) has the most support among Democratic National Committee members to lead Democrats as their next party chairman, according to a new survey.
Ellison got the support of 105 DNC members out of 240 total respondents, according to the survey conducted by the Hill. Former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez came in second with 57 supporters.
There are 447 voting members of the DNC, and a majority-threshold of 224 votes is required to become chair of the committee.
Ellison and Perez have emerged as the race's two frontrunners, and their contest will be settled this weekend in Atlanta, where the DNC will elect the Democratic Party's next chairperson.
Because neither Ellison nor Perez have secured a majority of support, DNC members will likely need to vote in multiple ballots to give a single candidate 224 votes.
Ellison and Perez's race has highlighted the divide between establishment Democrats–represented by Perez, who served as labor secretary under former President Obama–and the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party–represented by Ellison and others such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.).
Sanders endorsed Ellison for DNC chair and described Perez as part of the "failed status quo." Perez has gained endorsements from former Vice President Joe Biden and former Attorney General Eric Holder, among others.
A former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer told the Hill that some party members would see a Perez win as a victory for "Washington Insiders."
"It's not hard to see if Perez wins the race, having a whole portion of the party that feels like, 'Here the Washington insiders go again, appointing an Obama and Hillary guy,'" the staffer said.
Some Perez supporters fear that an Ellison win will lead the party "too far to the left," the Hill noted.
Ellison has been criticized for ties to controversial figures and past comments on Israel and the Middle East.
In recent months the Minnesota congressman has tried to distance himself from reports that a Muslim Brotherhood-tied group paid for his 2008 trip to Saudi Arabia, where he met with a Muslim cleric who endorsed killing U.S. soldiers and the president of a bank used to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.
While a student in law school, Ellison defended Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam by writing multiple articles saying he is not anti-Semitic. Ellison previously worked with the Nation of Islam and helped Farrakhan organize the Million Man March on Washington in 1995.
Ellison has since tried to distance himself from the Nation of Islam, drawing ire from the group.
The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement late last year on comments Ellison made in 2010 to supporters. Ellison said that it did not make sense for Middle East foreign policy to be driven by Israel.
The Anti-Defamation Leagues statement said that Ellison's comments were in direct contrast with the DNC's position on the Jewish state.
So far Ellison's past associations and comments have not appeared to hurt his candidacy, as he remains a frontrunner to become the next chair of the Democratic Party.