Democratic Party of Virginia

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Democratic Party of Virginia
ChairpersonSusan Swecker
SecretaryIsaac Sarver
SpokespersonGrant Fox, Communications Director
Governor of VirginiaRalph Northam
Lieutenant Governor of VirginiaJustin Fairfax
Senate President Pro TemporeLouise Lucas
Senate Majority LeaderDick Saslaw
House SpeakerEileen Filler-Corn
Founded1924 (1924)
Headquarters919 East Main Street[1]
Richmond, Virginia 23223
NewspaperBlue Virginia (unofficial)
Student wingVirginia College Democrats
Youth wingVirginia Young Democrats
Women's wingVirginia Democratic Women’s Caucus
Overseas wingDemocrats Abroad
LGBT wingLGBT Democrats of Virginia
High School WingVirginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus
IdeologyCentrism
Modern liberalism
Progressivism
Political positionCenter to center-left
National affiliationDemocratic Party
Colors  Blue
Statewide Executive Offices
3 / 3
Senate
21 / 40
House of Delegates
55 / 100
U.S. Senate
2 / 2
U.S. House of Representatives
7 / 11
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
9 / 10
Website
www.vademocrats.org

The Democratic Party of Virginia (VA Dems) is the Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party based in Richmond, Virginia.[2]

Historically, the Democratic Party has dominated Virginia politics. Since the 1851 Virginia gubernational election, the first gubernatorial election in Virginia in which the governor was elected by direct popular vote, 34 Virginia Governors have been Democrats. Since the 1851 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, the first lieutenant gubernatorial election in Virginia in which the lieutenant governor was elected by direct popular vote, 29 Virginia Lieutenant Governors have been Democrats. Since the 1851 Virginia Attorney General election, the first Attorney General election in Virginia in which the Attorney General was elected by direct popular vote, 25 Attorneys General have been Democrats.

As of 2021, Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, controlling 55 of 100 Virginia House of Delegates seats and 21 of 40 Virginia Senate seats. At the federal level, Virginia has voted for every Democratic presidential candidate since 2008 and every Democratic statewide candidate since 2012. Democrats hold seven of the state's 11 U.S. House seats and both of the state's U.S. Senate seats.

Organization[]

Local Democratic Committees[]

Local Democratic Committees serve to promote the Democratic Party in their specific locality. Some committees may contain several localities. Local committees endorse candidates for nonpartisan office (such as school board).

Central Committee[]

The Central Committee has full control over all matters of the Party, including the adoption of an annual budget, the method of nomination for statewide candidates such as Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General; the adoption of resolutions and policy statements. In addition, the Central Committee can veto any decision of the Steering Committee.

The Central Committee meets at least four times a year, usually in Richmond, although by tradition, the September meeting is in Fredericksburg. Central Committee meetings are accompanied by meetings of the Steering Committee the night before, and Caucus meetings over the weekend.

The Central Committee is composed of 20 members from each of Virginia's 11 congressional districts. Each district apportions the central committee seats to localities in the district based on population. Additionally, each district committee can elect three more members from local committees and one member of the Virginia General Assembly.

In addition, the following people are ex-officio members of the Central Committee and their District Committees:

  • Members of the steering committee
  • Democratic Virginia members of the United States Congress
  • Democratic statewide elected officials, such as Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General
  • the President Pro Tempore of the Virginia Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates, provided they are Democrats
  • the Democratic Leaders of the Virginia House and Senate
  • the Chairs of the Democratic Caucuses in Virginia the House and Senate
  • the president, national committeeman, and national committeewoman of the
  • the president and first vice president of the Women's Caucus
  • the chair of the Association of Democratic Elected Officials
  • the Chair of the Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus
  • the Chair of the Virginia Young Democrats College Caucus
  • and the Chair of the Virginia Young Democrats City/County Caucus[3]

Steering Committee[]

The Steering Committee makes decisions about the Party in-between meetings of the Central Committee, and also has an exclusive role of overseeing staff.

  • Chairwoman:
  • 1st Vice Chair for Organization: Gaylene Kanoyton
  • 2nd Vice Chair for Rules and Resolutions: Marc Broklawsk
  • Vice Chair for Technology and Communications: Ricardo Alfaro
  • Vice Chair for Outreach: Sen. L. Louise Lucas
  • Vice Chair for Finance: Tyler Bishop
  • Secretary: Isaac Sarver
  • Treasurer: Barbara Klear
  • DNC Member: Yohannes Abraham
  • DNC Member: Del. Joshua Cole
  • DNC Member: Doris Crouse-Mays
  • DNC Member: Elizabeth Guzman
  • DNC Member: Dave Leichtman
  • DNC Member: Chris Lu
  • DNC Member: Leopoldo Martinez
  • DNC Member: Sen. Jennifer McClellan
  • DNC Member: Atima Omara
  • DNC Member: Anthony Perrone
  • DNC Member: Jeion Ward
  • 1st Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Matt Rowe
  • 2nd Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Sandra Brandt
  • 3rd Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Clint Jenkins
  • 4th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Del. Lashrecse Aird
  • 5th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Suzanne Long
  • 6th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Kym Crump
  • 7th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Abbi Easter
  • 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Margo Horner
  • 9th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Gary Hancock
  • 10th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Zach Pruckowski
  • 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee Chair: Robert Haley
  • Labor Caucus Chair: Julie Hunter
  • Associations of Local Chairs Chair: Clarence Tong
  • Democratic Black Caucus Chair: EJ Scott
  • Women's Caucus Chair: Linda Brooks
  • LGBT Democrats of Virginia Chair: Maggie Sacra
  • Veterans and Military Families Caucus Chair: Vacant
  • President: Maureen Coffey
  • DisAbility Caucus Chair: Cyliene Montgomery
  • Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia Chair: Praveen Meyyan
  • Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia President: Jonathan Dromgoole
  • Rural Caucus Chair: Vee Frye
  • Small Business Caucus Chair: Mark Cannady
  • Immediate Past Chair: Dwight Jones

Staff[]

  • Executive Director: Andrew Whitley
  • Communications Director: Grant Fox
  • Deputy Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer: Brenner Tobe
  • Data Director: Katie O'Grady
  • Digital Director: Nick Scott
  • Finance Director: Carrie Hamilton
  • Chief Operations Officer: Elise Vess
  • Political Director: Shyam Raman
  • Deputy Political and Party Services Director: Khalid Naji
  • Voter Protection Director: Ja'Scotta Jefferson[4]

Current elected officials[]

Junior Senator Kaine
Senior Senator Warner

Members of Congress[]

U.S. Senate[]

Democrats have controlled both of Virginia's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2008:

  • Class I: Tim Kaine (Junior Senator)
  • Class II: Mark Warner (Senior Senator, Vice Chair of Senate Democratic Caucus, Chair of Senate Intelligence Committee)

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Out of the 11 seats Virginia is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, seven are held by Democrats:

Statewide offices[]

Democrats control all three elected statewide offices:

Legislative leadership[]

List of chairs[]

Controversies[]

2019 Virginia political crisis[]

In 2019, all three of Virginia's statewide executive office holders, all Democrats, were embroiled in various controversies. Governor Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page had featured an individual in blackface and an individual in a Ku Klux Klan hood, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was accused of having sexually assaulted a professor in 2004, and Attorney General Mark Herring was revealed to have worn blackface at a college party. Most Democrats urged Northam to resign from the governorship, but he refused. Ultimately, none of the three accused resigned.[5]

Historical firsts[]

African Americans
  • First African American Governor of Virginia: Douglas Wilder
  • First African American Lieutenant Governor of Virginia: Douglas Wilder
Arab Americans
  • First Lebanese American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Hala Ayala
  • First Palestinian American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Sam Rasoul
Asian Americans
  • First Korean American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Mark Keam
  • First Vietnamese American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Kathy Tran
  • First Filipino American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Kelly Fowler
Jewish Americans
  • First Jewish American to represent Virginia in the United States House of Representatives: Norman Sisisky
  • First Jewish American Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates: Eileen Filler-Corn
Latino Americans
  • First Peruvian American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Elizabeth Guzmán
  • First Salvadoran American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Hala Ayala
  • First Mexican American member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Kelly Fowler
LGBT
  • First openly gay member of the Senate of Virginia: Adam Paul Ebbin
  • First openly gay member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Adam Paul Ebbin
  • First openly lesbian member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Dawn M. Adams
  • First openly transgender member of the Virginia House of Delegates: Danica Roem
Women

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "Contact Archived 2010-04-30 at the Wayback Machine." Democratic Party of Virginia. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.
  3. ^ https://vademocrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/DPVA-Party-Plan-September-2018.pdf
  4. ^ "Staff". Democratic Party of Virginia. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  5. ^ Schwartzman, Paul. "On a political roll, Virginia Democrats now awash in scandal". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 February 2021.

External links[]

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