Shasti Conrad (left) and Democratic U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington (right) at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Aug. 19, 2024. (Shasti Conrad/WA Dems)
Washington state Democratic Party chair Shasti Conrad came up short Saturday night in her bid for a leadership post with the Democratic National Committee that would have given her a role crafting a strategy for the national party to regain its footing with voters.
Conrad, who was seeking one of the party’s three vice chair positions, had the endorsement of Ken Martin, who was elected DNC chair earlier in the day. But she finished fifth in the third and final round of balloting, and sixth overall among nearly two dozen candidates.
In campaigning for the post, Conrad said the formula that brought Democrats success in Washington last year — a sweep of nine statewide executive posts, gains in the Legislature and defeat of three conservative-backed ballot measures — is one the party could use to win back control of Congress and the White House.
“We can’t just resist. We have to lead,” she said in a speech to delegates Saturday afternoon. She added that Democrats must “expose all the Republicans’ broken promises” while providing a clear policy alternative that shows voters “we’re on your side.”
The party will be looking for a big rebound from last year’s setbacks in the 2026 midterm elections.
President Donald Trump soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, racking up wins in seven battleground states and making gains with voting blocs and in places across the country that have traditionally leaned Democratic. The GOP also took control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats and held their majority in the U.S. House.
Conrad has argued that Democrats don’t need to drastically change their message or positions and instead must improve how they communicate with voters. Do that, she says, and the party will be well-positioned to retake the White House and one or both chambers of Congress.
Conrad led the King County Democrats for four years before being elected chair of the state Democratic Party in 2023. She won reelection last month. According to her political biography, she is the first South Asian woman to lead a state party in the nation.