New State Party Chair

Dear Arizona Democrats and State Committee Members, Our job this year is to draw a clear line between Republicans’ craven policies and our values which ARE the values of the majority of Arizonans. I’m running for Arizona Democratic Party Chair to help build a party that is more inclusive, more transparent, and more accountable. We should demand the same accountability from our party leadership that we expect of our elected leaders. Republicans have held up funding for children’s healthcare. Republicans are threatening Dreamers with deportation. Republicans are deficit-funding massive tax giveaways to the ultra-wealthy. They thought they could do all of this for their campaign donors without anyone noticing. Unfortunately for them, Americans have noticed and Democrats must lead the charge to fight back. Our greatest power is our vote and our voice. Thanks to a new surge in participation, LD and democratic club meetings have had to move to new, bigger locations. I was at the Grand Dems meeting last night and they had to open up two adjacent meeting rooms to accommodate all the attendees. Way to go! More people than ever are signing up to volunteer and help candidates. We have an enormous pool of extremely well-qualified candidates, including primaries in districts where we’d previously struggled to field even one candidate. Folks with full time jobs and families are putting in late nights and working weekends because we know the time for change and great progress is NOW. We’ve got the enthusiasm  – now let’s get the voters to the polls! We are the party that won’t tear families apart. We are the party that cares about sick children getting treatment, without bankrupting their families. We are the party that fights for the middle class and will protect Social Security and Medicare. We are starting right now. With the resignation of Trent Franks, we’ve got a primary election on Feb. 27, and a chance to show Arizona who we are when we turn that seat blue on April 24. I have been working already with the West Valley groups and through collaboration with the Maricopa County party leadership, we already have a field plan! We ARE going to work together and we WILL be successful!  We will organize every district in this state, register voters, engage new voters, and come together around a strong message that energizes longtime activists, as well as new members. As your party chair, I will do it takes to make sure every candidate is supported, new voices are heard, and our message will reflect our true values – that ensure all people can thrive and achieve the American Dream, which means: Protection for Dreamers and Immigration Reform Fully Funded Public Education An Economy that Creates Jobs and Work is rewarded with living wages Healthcare that Leaves No One Behind Constitutionally Protected Civil Rights for Everyone Environmental Policies that Protect our Land, Air and Water for Future Generations Equal Rights for Women and Reproductive Freedom We’re going to do the work it takes to win. It’s going to take an unprecedented surge in activism, enthusiasm, and cooperation from each one of us. We need to show Arizona that while Democrats are fighting for the middle class, Republicans are raising their taxes and selling our children’s future to pay back their wealthy campaign donors. I’ve never been more confident that when we make the distinction between us clear, we will turn Arizona blue.