Lavora Barnes
Lavora Barnes | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party | |
| In office February 3, 2019 – February 22, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Brandon Dillon |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Hertel Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1964 or 1965 (age 59–60) North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | College of William and Mary (BA) |
Lavora Barnes (born 1964/1965)[1] is an American political executive who served as the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party from 2019 to 2025. She is the first African-American woman elected to be the position[2][3][4][5] and the second woman.[6]
Early life and education
Barnes was born in North Carolina and grew up in Virginia. She graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1987.[7]
Career
Before moving to Michigan, she was the Virginia press secretary for the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and later worked in his administration.[8][9]
In 2004, Barnes became a staffer in the Michigan House of Representatives. She worked the Communications director for the Michigan House Democratic Caucus three years later. She also worked as Oakland County's deputy clerk and the state director for the Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign.[7] In 2015, she became the Michigan Democratic Party's chief operating officer before party chair four years later.[6] In her campaign for the state chair in 2019, she received endorsements from Brandon Dillon, Gretchen Whitmer, and state Attorney General, Dana Nessel.[6][10]
References
- ^ Barnes-storming: Veteran Democratic organizer is frontrunner to lead party in ‘19
- ^ Staff, Stateside (February 4, 2019). "Stateside: First black woman to chair MI Dems; reviving the "shoebox" lunch; kids killed by guns". www.michiganradio.org. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Bankole: Michigan Dems could elect first black chair". Detroit News. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ Barrett, Malachi (September 16, 2019). "Michigan Democratic Party wants more minorities involved in picking Trump's challenger". mlive. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Will Stacey Abrams have more of an impact on the 2020 election from the sidelines?". ABC News. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c Gray, Kathleen. "Election success for women could extend to state party leadership jobs". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "Obama for America 2012 Campaign Organization - Michigan". www.p2012.org. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ Barrett, Malachi (April 18, 2019). "Women leading Michigan's political parties prepare for tough fight in 2020". mlive. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Barnes nabs UAW, AFSCME endorsements for Democratic Party chair". Detroit News. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Women leading Michigan's political parties prepare for tough fight in 2020". mlive. April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
External links