Welcome back to NPI’s continuing coverage of the 2024 Washington State Democratic Convention. Today, the general session convened to allow delegates to discuss resolutions and hear from Democratic committees and party leadership.
The elevator doors at the Meydenbauer Center opened to a beehive of activity, and I was swept up into a long line of delegates waiting to pass through a security and bag check before entering Center Hall B, the room that’s hosting the general session.
Once inside the hall, delegates took seats at either round tables or in rows facing the main stage, where a panel of party leaders and convention committee chairs slowly assembled. To accommodate security screening needs, the first general session did not begin until around 9:30 AM, about half an hour after the advertised start time, so delegates waited in anticipation of today’s speakers, which will include U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene, and the party’s items of business.
As with the gala dinner last night, Party Chair Shasti Conrad opened the proceeding.
Three opening speakers, who discussed issues of the environment, Washington’s tribal communities, and immigration, were followed by a Girl Scout Color Guard (who were not quite tall enough to be seen on the livestream camera but could be seen in the room) and singer Parisalexa, who sang the national anthem.
Before Shasti Conrad reclaimed the mic to give the chair’s report, she welcomed U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene to the stage to say a few words.
Suzan DelBene, who represents NPI’s home congressional district, credited her success as a Representative with the hard work of Democrats in the room. “It’s a testament to your amazing work and folks working together to get it to this point.”
DelBene highlighted important races in Washington, Alaska, and Oregon, including Mary Peltola, Marie Glusenkamp Perez, and Andrea Salinas’ campaigns for reelection to the U.S. House, and praised the increasing number of Democratic women present in the congressional delegations from those two states.
“We know we have an important job to do. Because this election is about our rights, our freedoms, our democracy and our future, and we all have a role to play in making sure we stand. We need grassroots leadership by all of you to make sure we’re successful,” DelBene told the delegates and guests.
Conrad then spoke again, celebrating Democratic successes in fundraising, strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion, and flipping key offices, such as winning the mayoralty of Spokane. Since Conrad became chair, Democrats have rolled out their 2024 coordinated campaign, featuring thirty community organizers across the state. The party has succeeded in raising $6 million and recently achieved the best fundraising month in party history.
However, Conrad urged the delegates in attendance (of which there are over 500 here in Bellevue and another 400 joining remotely) to not be complacent. Conrad referenced a man in Bellevue that cut a $1 million check to Trump following his conviction on 34 felony charges in New York this month, and reminded the audience that they are fighting against very rich right wing men who have made it their mission to get Trump back in.
Conrad also condemned Gluesenkamp Perez’s expected opponent Joe Kent, who is a conspiracy theorist and has expressed extreme views about defunding the Federal Bureau of Investigation and preventing the aging Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River from being rebuilt because the new bridge would be an “antifa superhighway.”
Conrad closed with a list of Democratic goals for the election in November: “We must elect President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. We must keep convicted felon Donald Trump out of the Oval Office. We must elect Bob Ferguson Governor. We must ensure that every statewide office remains in Democratic hands. We must expand our majorities in the state legislature and flip seats like in LDs 10, 14 and 17. We can’t just yell ‘Go vote!’ at people. Our job is to give folks hope for what is possible. That we can and will do better.”
The chair’s report was followed by a final credentials report, which counted 1,023 checked-in delegates, 703 of which were in person.
Next, the convention moved on to consider several proposed amendments to the bylaws of the state party. The bylaws, along with the charter, are the party’s top governing documents. Changing the bylaws at the convention requires the affirmative votes of an absolute majority of the seated delegates.
NPI’s Andrew Villeneuve, a longtime state committeemember and an automatic delegate to the convention, offered two bylaw amendments to improve communication and transparency between the Washington State Democratic Party’s Executive Committee and its larger State Central Committee, which governs the party in between conventions.
Villeneuve explained that the Executive Committee (which he is a member of), has taken on a larger role in running the party since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the state central committee stopped regularly meeting in person. The committee now meets more frequently than in the past and most of its meetings are held remotely, rather than in person before or after sessions of the state central committee.
Accordingly, he proposed two amendments to improve transparency and communication, both developed in consultation with DNC Member David McDonald and State Party Secretary Rob Dolin.
His first amendment requires the Executive Committee to notify the state central committee when Executive Committee meetings are scheduled, and provide SCC members the opportunity to observe upon request. The amendment also requires the Secretary (currently Dolin, who is a former NPI boardmember and current NPI Advisory Councilmember) to send out the draft minutes of Executive Committee meetings within seven days, which must include an attendance report.
The second proposed amendment would define a reporting responsibility for executive committee members representing a congressional district. Representatives (or their designees) would have ten days to report back to their constituents in writing following the conclusion of an executive committee meeting. Currently, the position of executive committee representative has no defined responsibilities in the bylaws.
Both amendments were recommended “do pass” by the Rules Committee and neither received opposition on the floor from any other delegates. The amendments passed by votes of 806–29 and 753–82, respectively, with Villeneuve offering his profound thanks to the delegates for their support and emphasizing that the Democratic Party has an obligation to model responsible governance in these times of rising authoritarianism.
Two other amendments, submitted by Tim Noonan, were withdrawn without objection.
An amendment on DNC member elections from Amy Madden was ruled out of order because it would cause the bylaws to be in conflict with the charter if adopted.
The final agenda item before lunch was party nominations, which are the party’s means of telling the state that an officeholder is a Democrat so that the party retains its right to nominate replacements for them if they leave office before the expiration of their term. (The Washington State Constitution gives the party a key role in filling vacancies in partisan legislative and county offices.) No delegates stepped forward to debate the slate of proposed nominations, so the list was adopted without objection.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the Washington State Democratic Convention. The delegates have recessed for lunch, but will soon be back in session to work on the 2024 platform and consider resolutions. The party has until 4 PM to complete its business.
Many patients are coming from nearby Idaho, where abortion care has effectively been eliminated by…
The presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees sparred in a CNN studio in Atlanta, with…
Read an archive of NPI's live coverage of the June 27th, 2024 presidential debate between…
"The ad spotlights Bob Ferguson’s family, and emphasizes his support of making our state more…
46% of 649 likely November 3rd District voters surveyed in mid-June 2024 by Public Policy…
Delegates and guests heard from the state's outgoing governor and two of its top 2024…