Elizabeth Walters and Andre Washington Elected Chair and Vice Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party
January 14, 2021
COLUMBUS — Tonight during a special meeting of the Ohio Democratic Party, Elizabeth Walters was unanimously elected Chair to the Ohio Democratic Party. Walters, at 37 years old, is the first woman to be elected chair. Walters currently serves as a County Councilmember for Summit County and resides in Akron. She previously worked at the Ohio Democratic Party as Executive Director in 2014.
In addition to Walters, the Party’s Executive Committee also elected Andre Washington to the First Vice Chair position. The rules of the Democratic National Committee require the First Vice Chair to be the opposite gender from the Chair. Washington is a Field Representative/Special Projects Coordinator for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees/AFSCME Local 4 and serves as the President of the Ohio State Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI).
“I am honored by this responsibility. I have faith in our party. The conversations I have had with all of you over the last few weeks have given me immense confidence in the commitment and passion of Ohio Democrats,” Walters said to the Executive Committee. “The work ahead for our party will be hard, and no doubt we will have many tough conversations and many detailed plans about our strategy and our tactics. But ultimately our work is about people. We must keep people at the center of our organization and our plans, make space for and honor their stories.”
“I want to thank the Executive Committee for electing me as Vice Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party,” said Washington. “I have spent my career serving others, and I am honored to continue that service in this new position. We have a lot of work to do, but I have never been afraid to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I’m excited to work side-by-side with our new Chair, Elizabeth Walters, our elected officials, and brothers and sisters in Labor.”
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