| The Democratic National Committee met in St. Louis on October 5-7 – it is our last meeting prior to the National Convention in Chicago (August 19-22, 2024). Highlights of the meeting included support for Virginia Democrats in this fall’s elections, an interview of VP Kamala Harris by Donna Brazile, participation in the picket line with UAW 2250 at the GM Wentzville, Mo. plant. Rules and Bylaws met for about six hours to provide direction to the State Party of Alabama concerning its current dispute, conditionally approve Iowa’s delegate selection plan, and conditionally approve several state plans that included ranked choice voting, but subject to certain provisions and for this election only. RBC also rejected rank choice voting for three states that had not used it in the past. For more details on the meeting, see the Secretary’s Report below:
Jason Ray, DNC Secretary Report:
Summary from the Fall 2023 Meeting:
Here is a brief summary of the business and activities that took place during our meeting:
Election to Fill At-Large and Executive Committee Vacancies – The DNC elected Yvette Lewis of Maryland as an At-Large Member and Christale Spain of South Carolina to the DNC’s Executive Committee.
Standing Committee Appointments – The DNC also approved the appointments of Budget & Finance Committee Co-Chair Christopher Lowe of New York and Jack Dulworth of Kentucky as a member of the committee. Credentials Co-Chair Hilda Solis of California and Trish Ruiz of New Mexico were approved to serve on the committee. Barry Goodman of Michigan and Sonja Witten of Nevada were approved to serve on the Resolutions Committee. Finally, the DNC approved the appointments of Carol Ronen of Illinois and Yvette Lewis of Maryland to serve on the Rules & Bylaws Committee.
Adoption of the Report of the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee – The DNC adopted the Rules & Bylaws Committee report presented by Co-Chair James Roosevelt, Jr.
Adoption of the Report from the DNC Resolutions Committee – During the General Session, the membership adopted the Report of the Resolutions Committee, presented by Sandy Opstvedt, which included the adoption of 55 resolutions and are a combination of messaging and commemorative statements. You can find the finalized resolutions packet here.
Adoption of the Report from the DNC Credentials Committee – The membership also adopted the Report of the Credentials Committee presented by Daryl Newman.
Finance & Treasurer Updates – National Finance Chair Chris Korge and Treasurer Virginia McGregor provided an update during both the Executive Committee meeting and the General Session on the party’s finances. This year, the DNC has invested $1.5 million into the Virginia legislative races in addition to significant support for other statewide and special elections. The DNC and the Biden-Harris campaign also raised $72 million at the end of the second quarter, which will help the party establish the biggest war chest in the history of the Democratic Party.
Executive Committee Recap – The DNC Executive Committee met and heard a welcome from former Congressman Russ Carnahan, updates from DNC officers, remarks from DNC Vice Chair Governor Gretchen Whitmer, an update on the 2024 Convention from Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore and Executive Director Alex Hornbrook, an update from the Rules & Bylaws Committee Co-Chairs, James Roosevelt and Minyon Moore, as well as a presentation on the Virginia legislative races from DNC Interim Director of Strategic Planning Libby Schneider and and Virginia Democratic Party Executive Director Shyam Raman.
Caucus and Council Meetings – Throughout the DNC Meeting, each of our regional caucuses, as well as our constituency caucuses and councils, held engaging and interactive meetings to discuss the work they are doing to elect Democrats up and down the ballot and organize within their communities. Additionally, each of the regional caucuses held elections to fill any existing vacancies. The Western Caucus elected Andrew Lachman as chair and Manny Crespín as treasurer, the Eastern Caucus elected Luis Davila Pernas as vice chair, the Midwestern Caucus elected Barry Goodman as vice chair, and the Southern Caucus elected Jack Dulworth as representative to the DNC Executive Committee. Additionally, the Western Caucus and Women’s Caucus approved amendments to their bylaws.
General Session – During the General Session, we shared an inspiring video about Democratic accomplishments, which you can find here.
Chair Harrison also announced the Speaker Emerita Nancy D. Pelosi DNC Chair’s Award Committee. The Chair’s Award is an expression of gratitude to a Democrat that has contributed significantly to the Democratic Party at the national, state, or local level in their professional or personal life to achieve something greater than themselves and to strengthen the Democratic Party.
The Advisory Award Committee will be co-chaired by Christine Pelosi and Clay Middleton, and the following will also serve on the committee: Secretary Jason Rae, Raymond Buckley, Ruth Buffalo, Tonio Burgos, Colmon Elridge, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Earl Fowlkes, Ashleigh Lancaster, Otto Lee, Yvette Lewis, and Celina Vasquez.
Democrats Care Event – In addition, we once again held a DemsCare event, Chair Harrison’s service initiative held in conjunction with DNC Meetings. The Fall Meeting provided all attendees an opportunity to give back to the community by donating to the Veterans Community Project (VCP), an organization dedicated to providing assistance to transitioning veterans. We were able to provide household items for several veterans as they move into their new homes. The VCP staff held a discussion with the members of the Veterans and Militaries Families Council on the services they are providing for homeless veterans. |