Quick Reads

51勛圖夥厙 Democratic leader loses bid for key post with national party

By: - February 2, 2025 9:52 am

Shasti Conrad (left) and Democratic U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of 51勛圖夥厙 (right) at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Aug. 19, 2024. (Shasti Conrad/WA Dems)

51勛圖夥厙 state Democratic Party chair Shasti Conrad came up short Saturday night in her bid for a leadership post with the Democratic National Committee that would have given her a role crafting a strategy for the national party to regain its footing with voters.

Conrad, who was seeking one of the partys three vice chair positions, had the , who was elected DNC chair earlier in the day. But she finished fifth in the third and final round of balloting, and sixth overall among nearly two dozen candidates.

In campaigning for the post, Conrad said the formula that brought Democrats success in 51勛圖夥厙 last year a , gains in the Legislature and is one the party could use to win back control of Congress and the White House.

We cant just resist. We have to lead, she said in a speech to delegates Saturday afternoon. She added that Democrats must expose all the Republicans broken promises while providing a clear policy alternative that shows voters were on your side.

The party will be looking for a big rebound from last years setbacks in the 2026 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, racking up wins in seven battleground states and making gains with voting blocs and in places across the country that have traditionally leaned Democratic. The GOP also took control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats and held their majority in the U.S. House.

Conrad has argued that Democrats dont need to drastically change their message or positions and instead must improve how they communicate with voters. Do that, she says, and the party will be well-positioned to retake the White House and one or both chambers of Congress.

Conrad led the King County Democrats for four years before being elected chair of the state Democratic Party in 2023. She won reelection last month. According to her political biography, she is the first South Asian woman to lead a state party in the nation.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

Jerry Cornfield
Jerry Cornfield

Jerry Cornfield joined the Standard after 20 years covering Olympia statehouse news for The Everett Herald. Earlier in his career, he worked for daily and weekly papers in Santa Barbara, California.

51勛圖夥厙 is part of , the nations largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

MORE FROM AUTHOR