Paul Berendt

Last updated

Paul Berendt served as chairman of the Washington State Democratic Party from January 1995 to January 2006. [1] He was the longest serving state Democratic Party chairman in the nation at the time he stepped down from his post.

Active in the Democratic National Committee, Berendt served as Vice Chair for the West of the Association of State Democratic Chairs and as a member of the DNC's Credentials Committee.

During Berendt's tenure as chairman, Democrat Christine Gregoire became governor after a heavily fought election. She won the election by 129 votes after three counts and multiple lawsuits.

Additionally, the state Democratic Party, along with the Republicans and Libertarians, sued and overturned the state's former blanket primary election system after the United States Supreme Court found California's similar system unconstitutional in California Democratic Party v. Jones . They also successfully fought the implementation of a Louisiana-style "top two" primary, in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, would advance to the general election.

During Berendt's tenure, Washington State Democrats had the best record of any state party in the nation of getting Democratic candidates elected, including US Senator Maria Cantwell. Democrats also won four Congressional seats plus majorities in both houses of the Washington State Legislature.

Under Berendt's leadership, Washington became the only state in US history to elect two women senators and a woman governor. During his tenure, Washington had the most women serving in the state legislature of any state.

The party has developed a larger, more complex staff organization which includes professional database, Web design, fundraising, field, and compliance professionals, as well as a one-of-a-kind voter file database. It is the only state voter file that can be accessed by grassroots precinct workers.

The grassroots of the party has been rebuilt resulting in the addition of thousands of precinct committee workers to its membership in the past decade.

Paul Berendt is now Senior Vice President at Strategies 360, a Seattle-based strategic communications firm. [2]

Related Research Articles

2004 Washington gubernatorial election Summary of the election and its results

The 2004 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2004. The race gained national attention for its legal twists and extremely close finish, among the closest political races in United States election history. Republican Dino Rossi was declared the winner in the initial automated count and again in a subsequent automated recount, but after a second recount done by hand, Democrat Christine Gregoire took the lead by a margin of 129 votes.

Democratic Party of Hawaii Affiliate of liberal U.S. political party in Hawaii

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Hawaii.

Kansas Republican Party Kansas affiliate of the Republican Party

The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859 and has often been the dominant political party in the state.

A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or Precinct Committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political party and the voters in a local election district.

Howard Dean American politician

Howard Brush Dean III is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009. Dean was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election. His implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Afterward, he became a political commentator and consultant to McKenna Long & Aldridge, a law and lobbying firm.

Oklahoma Republican Party Oklahoma affiliate of the Republican Party

The Oklahoma Republican Party is the Oklahoma state affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state.

Nebraska Democratic Party Political party in United States

The Nebraska Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Nebraska. Over 700 Democrats are elected across the state of Nebraska. Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and also serves as the Midwest Chair of the Association of State Democratic Committees.

Democratic Party of Oregon Oregon affiliate of the Democratic Party

The Democratic Party of Oregon is the Oregon affiliate of the Democratic Party. The State Central Committee, made up of two delegates elected from each of Oregon's 36 counties and one additional delegate for every 15,000 registered Democrats, is the main authoritative body of the party.

Politics of Minnesota

Minnesota is known for a politically active citizenry, with populism being a longstanding force among the state's political parties. Minnesota has consistently high voter turnout; in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, 77.8% of eligible Minnesotans voted – the highest percentage of any U.S. state or territory – versus the national average of 61.7%. This was due in part to its same day voter registration laws; previously unregistered voters can register on election day, at their polls, with evidence of residency.

Indiana Democratic Party Political party

The Democratic Party of Indiana is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Indiana.

Kentucky Democratic Party Political party

The Kentucky Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The party is a longstanding institution in the Commonwealth; 46.7% of Kentuckians were registered as Democrats in 2020, more than the 44.1% who were registered with the Republican Party.

The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas.

The Arizona Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix.

Marko Liias American politician and educator from Washington

Marko S. Liias is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the Washington State Senate, representing the 21st district since 2014. The district, located entirely within Snohomish County, includes portions of Lynnwood and Everett, as well as his hometown of Mukilteo and his native Edmonds. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 2008 to 2014.

2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election

The 2001 New Jersey gubernatorial election was a race for the Governor of New Jersey. It was held on November 6, 2001. Primaries took place on June 25. Democrat nominee Jim McGreevey won the general election with 56% of the vote — the first majority-elected governor since James Florio in 1989. His Republican opponent in that race was Bret Schundler. This is also the most recent statewide election in which the Democrat won Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Washington ratified its constitution and held its first state elections in 1889, the year it was admitted to the union as a state. It established the positions of governor, lieutenant governor, Secretary of State, attorney general, state treasurer, state auditor, Commissioner of Public Lands, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. The position of insurance commissioner was legislatively established in 1907. All positions are elected to four-year terms, concurrent with presidential elections. Washington is one of three states that elects nine separate statewide officials, while six others elect ten.

Ken Martin (politician)

Ken Martin is an American political figure from Minnesota. He is currently Chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, President of the Association of State Democratic Committees, and a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Nebraska Legislature Legislative branch of the state government of Nebraska

The Nebraska Legislature is the unicameral state legislature of the state of Nebraska. Its members are called "senators", as it was originally the upper house of a bicameral legislature until the Nebraska House of Representatives was dissolved in 1937. The legislature is unicameral and officially recognizes no party affiliation, making Nebraska unique among U.S. states. With 49 members, it is also the smallest state legislature of any U.S. state. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln.

1960 United States presidential election in Iowa Election in Iowa

The 1960 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 8, 1960, as part of the 1960 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

2021 New Jersey State Senate election State Senate elections of the U.S. state of New Jersey

The 2021 New Jersey State Senate election will be held on November 2, 2021. New Jersey voters will elect state senators in all of the state's legislative districts for a two-year term to the New Jersey Senate.

References

  1. ↑ Postman, David. "State Democratic Party chairman resigning". seattletimes.com. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Paul Berendt". Strategies360.com. Retrieved 2 October 2020.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.