Kansas Democratic Party Chair Jeanna Repass has launched her bid to become the next vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.
The 448-member Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States Democratic Party. The committee has “general responsibility for the affairs of the Democratic Party between National Conventions, coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, and works to establish a ‘party brand’ and to formulate the party platform.”
As state Democratic Party chair, Repass is one of two guaranteed members of the committee from Kansas.
In addition to the national chairperson, the organization has five vice chairs. This year, probably because of the party’s poor performance in the November elections, neither the chair nor any of the vice chairs are seeking reelection.
The party lost the White House, control of the Senate, and failed to regain control of the House. Without a clear leader, the party is looking for a new leadership team to help develop a platform, focus and messaging that connects with many of the Americans it lost in the November elections.
Repass hopes to be part of that team.
“Over the next four years, Democrats must be ready to take on the Trump agenda and show the American people that there is a better path forward for our country, and I am ready for that task,” said Repass in a launch video. “In the next two months, I look forward to listening to folks across ideological and geographic divisions and help chart a new course that will rebuild and strengthen the Democratic Party.”
Repass is the first African-American female to chair the Kansas Democratic Party and is one of only eight Black female party chairs in the country. She ran for Kansas secretary of state in 2022 and has extensive experience in grassroots advocacy and organizing.
“My experience as the chair of the Kansas Democratic Party gives me a unique perspective for how our national party can not only make inroads with voters in red states but also win in these tough elections,” she said.
Current Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, who became a darling of the media during the presidential campaign, announced his decision not to seek reelection shortly after the election.
Candidates to replace him jumped into the race shortly after his announcement. Martin O’Malley, a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland governor, became the first notable figure to jump into the race. Ken Martin, who is the chair of Minnesota’s arm of the Democratic Party, and a current DNC vice chair, has also announced his campaign.
Vice chairs not seeking reelection are:
– Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan
– Tammy Duckworth, U.S. senator from Illinois, and
– Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Atlanta Mayor
The DNC elections will be held Feb. 1 at the party’s winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.
