Why I’m Running
I’m Shasti Conrad and I am running for State Party Chair for the Washington State Democrats to build on and expand our successes in elections up and down the ballot. We will continue building a modern, efficient, and nationally influential party that will keep growing and winning!
With democracy under assault, we have had little choice but to define ourselves in opposition to some of the most hateful violent voices we’ve experienced in our lifetimes. But the time has come to define who we are in terms of the future we want to build.
- Our Democratic party must do more than respond to the needs of this moment; we must also build a lasting and resilient community that can stand against all the challenges that await us. We can’t win by just fighting what we hate—we must protect what we love, and demonstrate our strength by spreading our joy.
- This past election, the Washington State Democrats proved that we can show voters a vision that prioritizes and balances the needs of both rural and urban Democrats. Our party models a big tent that includes the leaders of the DCCC, the Progressive Caucus, and an independent working class Democrat who flipped a seat by just a few thousand votes.
- As a former two-term Chair of the largest county party in our state, I have a track record of success helping progressive candidates win at every level of government. In the four years I led the King County Democrats, our organizers flipped a County Council seat, six city councils, and raised the funds to make our County party formidable in winning elections.
- Additionally, I built a team of committed, skilled volunteers who created a culture of transparency and accountability that allowed for safer spaces to welcome in folks who historically had not seen themselves reflected in the Democratic Party: more women, more people of color, younger people, LGBT people, and immigrants.
- I have the experience, the relationships and the deep dedication this job requires. I am eager to serve our state and our party—and couldn’t be more ready and excited!
Why Me?
- I’ve spent 15 years working on campaigns and in government who has worked on four presidential campaigns, a US Senate campaign, and have advised on countless local campaigns in both Washington state and nationally.
- I am the first woman of color to serve as the Chair for the King County Democrats and first chair to be re-elected in over a decade. I took a struggling organization mired in debt and transformed it into a thriving, engaged organization with the funding to produce electoral wins.
- Not only do I have a long history of fundraising for local and national campaigns, but I’ve developed innovative, fun and creative fundraising methods over the pandemic that resulted in winning 3 American Association of Political Consultant awards for fundraising – including for production on Senator Patty Murray’s Golden Tennis Shoe Awards!
