In the News
State Executive Committee of the Florida Democratic Party Elects New Leadership Slate
Today, the State Executive Committee of the Florida Democratic Party met to elect new officers for the next four years. As previously announced, Nikki Fried has been re-elected as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party.
Following the Chair’s election, the State Executive Committee elected new party officers.
“I’m excited to serve another term as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party — especially with the election of these excellent leaders,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “I’m looking forward to serving with them as we continue to rebuild our party and fight back against Republican extremism in Florida.”
With 60% of the votes on the first ballot, Daniel Henry has been elected First Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party.
Daniel Henry is a proud native Floridian, first-generation Haitian American, DNC Member, and dedicated millennial leader who has spent the last six years driving transformative change as Chair of the Duval County DEC. At just 27, he made history as Florida’s youngest County Chair and the first Black LGBTQ+ man to hold the position. Under his leadership, Duval County delivered a historic win for President Biden, utilized coalitions with grassroots organizations to get out the vote, and elected Jacksonville’s first female Democratic mayor.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be elected to serve as First Vice Chair,” said newly elected FDP First Vice Chair Daniel Henry. “As a County Chair, I look forward to making sure we have a strong stable base of county parties across the state — and to take that opportunity to invest in local races and grow the Democratic Party brand in our communities.”
With 71% of the votes on the first ballot, Ione Townsend has been elected Secretary of the Florida Democratic Party.
Ione Townsend has been active in politics for most of her adult life, starting as a School Board Member. She was elected Chair of the Hillsborough County DEC in 2015 and served as the President of the Democratic County Chairs Association. Townsend also created Hey Florida, an organization specifically focused on investing in the infrastructure and GOTV efforts for counties that need support to organize and mobilize.
With 88% of the votes on the first ballot, Wes Hodge has been elected Treasurer of the Florida Democratic Party.
Wes Hodge, a two-time cancer survivor, is a passionate advocate for Democratic values. Hodge served as the Chair of the Orange County DEC for six years and during his tenure, Orange County elected its first Democratic mayor in 20 years and flipped the County Commission.
In addition to the party officers, the following 11 people have been elected as members of the Democratic National Committee:
- Judy Mount
- Juan Cuba
- Ric Gable
- Samuel Vilchez Santiago
- Samantha Hope Herring
- Sean Shaw
- Lydia Hudson
- Millie Herrera
- Allison Minnerly
- Pamela Castellana
- Alan Clendenin
