Dear Young Democrats —

We want to update you on all things related to the upcoming DNC Officer Elections and how you can help shape the conversation around the future of our party.

This is a critical moment for the future of our party, and we want to ensure your voices are part of the conversation shaping its direction. That's why we helped facilitate the first chair candidate forum last month in Boston, Massachusetts. with Ken Martin, Ben Wikler, Martin O'Malley, and James Skoufis.

The Democratic National Committee will meet in National Harbor, Maryland, from January 29 to February 1, 2025 to elect its next officers, with elections taking place on Saturday, February 1. 

We’ve set up a feedback form to gather your input on the priorities you want the next DNC officers to champion. Now is your chance to highlight the issues and challenges affecting young people and our work as Young Democrats.

Your thoughts and ideas will be extremely valuable in helping guide our conversations with candidates. Please take a moment to complete the feedback form below.

We also want to update you on the state of the race for DNC officer positions. The nearly 450 members of the Democratic National Committee will elect a Chair, a Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation, three Vice Chairs, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a National Finance Chair.

The DNC is holding four candidate forums over the next month, with the final one taking place in person on January 30th to coincide with the meeting. Forums are open to all to listen to and attend, so please watch the DNC website for announcements.

In order to qualify for the ballot and participate in the four forums, candidates must secure 40 DNC member signatures. The following individuals have met this threshold and will participate in the first forum, scheduled virtually for January 11, 2025:

Candidates for Chair:

• Quintessa Hathaway

• Ken Martin

• Martin O’Malley

• Jason Paul

• James Skoufis

• Nate Snyder

• Ben Wikler

• Marianne Williamson
  
  

Candidates for Treasurer:

• Matt Hughes*

• Virginia McGregor
  
  

Candidates for Secretary:

• Marilyn Davis

• Jason Rae
  
  

Candidates for National Finance Chair:

• Chris Korge

• Christopher Lowe

Candidates for Vice Chair for Civic Engagement and Voter Participation:

• Joyce Beatty

• Michael Blake

• Reyna Walters-Morgan

• Nikema Williams
  
  

Candidates for Vice Chair:

• Joe Barbuto

• Artie Blanco

• Waikinya Clanton

• Shasti Conrad

• Michelle Deatrick

• Aisha Dew

• Kalyn Free

• Adam Frisch

• David Hogg*

• Chris Jones

• Malcolm Kenyatta*

• Joe Paolino

• Jeanna Repass

• James Zogby

*Indicates candidates under the age of 36

Thank you for your time and commitment to our shared goal of building a Democratic Party that works for everyone. If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming elections or the candidates, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

In solidarity,

Your YDA DNC Representatives

Quentin Wathum-Ocama, 

YDA President & DNC Executive Committee Member

Stephanie Campanha Wheaton,

YDA Democratic National Committee Representative

Katherine Jeanes,

YDA Democratic National Committee Representative