On February 1st, the Washington State Democratic Central Committee elected Jaxon Ravens as State Democratic Party Chair. The other candidates were Dana Laurent, Jim Kainber, and Jay Clough.
The Washington State Democratic Central Committee consists of one man and one woman from every county and legislative district. This year, 166 state committee members participated in the vote for Chair.
Jaxon Ravens has worked for the Washington State Democrats for 10 years, nine of them as Executive Director. For the previous four years, he served as the President of the National Association of State Democratic Executive Directors and on the Executive Board of the Association of State Democratic Chairs. Prior to his work with the Washington State Democrats, Ravens served as the Executive Director of the King County Democrats. In each of these roles, Ravens has lead and worked with Democrats across the state, national party organizations, local party organizations, various constituency groups, allies, candidates, and elected officials, to help elect Democrats and build the Democratic community in order to promote the values expressed in the State Democratic Party Charter and Platform.
Ravens released the following statement:
“I am honored and humbled to be elected as Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party. I congratulate Dana Laurent, Jim Kainber, and Jay Clough on their strong races and thank them for encouraging discussion on the future of the Party.
“Starting with my time as a Young Democrat and continuing with my role as Executive Director, I am grateful for the relationships I have built with Democrats at the national, state, and local levels. Democrats in Washington have a legacy of success in electing leaders and enacting progressive policies that benefit the lives of all Washingtonians. Alongside the men and women of the Washington State Democratic Party, our candidates, our elected officials, and our allies, I will fight to build on that legacy –strengthening the middle class, ensuring equal rights and justice, and providing for our schools to secure a better future.”
The new chair will guide the party in 2014 as they work to defeat State Senator Rodney Tom, reclaim the State Senate majority, defend our Democrats in Congress, and elect Democrats to the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th Congressional Districts.
