Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes announced Thursday morning that she will not run for re-election next year after serving in the position since 2019.
Barnes, the first Black woman to serve as state Democratic Party chairwoman, posted a memo about her announcement on social media and on the state party website, saying, “We have been in the eye of the storm here in Michigan. , and I am extremely proud of the work we have done and the organization we have built together.”
“We have revolutionized the way Democrats campaign in this state. As you all know, 2016 was a wake-up call for Michigan Democrats. We realized that our main goal had to be to put our heads down and build a party that would do the job. we had to win all year long – and we did,” she continued.
During Barnes’ time as chairman and before that as chief operating officer, Democrats made enormous gains politically, electing Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in 2018 and again in 2022; U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters are up for re-election in 2018 and 2020, respectively; and the party that will take control of both chambers of the state legislature in 2022 for the first time in nearly four decades.
A longtime activist, Barnes took over as state party director of operations in 2015 under then-party chairman Brandon Dillon.
However, these gains were reversed in last week’s election, when Republican former President Donald Trump won the state, as he did in 2016; control of the State House returned to Republicans and the Republican Party gained a 7–6 lead in the state’s congressional delegation. However, Democrats managed to win another U.S. Senate race when U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly defeated Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake.
“Although our losses this year are very painful, in a year with stronger headwinds than we have ever seen nationally, we have held on here,” Barnes said. “Thanks to the infrastructure we’ve built over the last nine years, and the hard work of Democrats across the state, we’re sending Elissa Slotkin to the U.S. Senate, Kristen McDonald Rivet to Congress, and Judges Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas to the US Senate. At the local level, we have held and won countless seats on county commissions and school boards, where committed Democrats are fighting to build a better future for all.”
“We ran tough races all over the state, and we ran those races well. That’s why I know we will continue to show up for working Michiganders everywhere – and we will continue to grow our tent as we fight fairly for every person. in our great state,” she said.
Whitmer called Barnes “an incredible leader” for Democrats.
“She took over after the 2016 elections and built back our infrastructure to deliver transformational victories in 2018, 2020 and 2022, including the election and re-election of three statewide Democratic candidates and the first Democratic trifecta in 40 years. She has led by example, making the Michigan Dems a model for success in other swing states, and I look forward to working with her in the future,” said Whitmer.
While it was not immediately known who might replace Barnes, some have suggested former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. named, who was an aide to Whitmer and last week lost a race to fill Slotkin’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to the former secretary of state. Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lavora Barnes resigns as chair of the Michigan Democrats
