Annapolis, Md. – Members of the Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland today elected Kathleen Matthews as Party Chair to serve through the 2018 general election.
Matthews was elected Interim Party Chair by the party’s executive committee on March 1, replacing outgoing Chair D. Bruce Poole who served in his role for two years.
In her remarks, Matthews outlined the high stakes for Marylanders with President Trump and the GOP’s agenda to roll back jobs, health care, public education, wages, and environmental protections.
“When Democrats win, Marylanders do better. That’s the message we need to take to voters in 2018,” said Matthews. “Our job as Democrats is not only to resist President Donald Trump and stop Governor Larry Hogan from dialing back the progress we’ve made in Maryland, but also renew our commitment to creating opportunity, standing up for Marylanders’ rights, and making life better for all people.”
Matthews also outlined a 24-jurisdiction “All Maryland” strategy to highlight the Party’s focus on empowering Democratic activists and harnessing the recent burst of grassroots energy as a result of Trump’s election.
“It’s encouraging to see more Marylanders than ever before who want to get involved in political action and our Democratic party,” added Matthews. “In order to defeat Governor Larry Hogan and stop the Republicans in 2018, we need to bring urban and rural Democrats, millennials and seniors, progressives, union members and entrepreneurs to the table so that we can make our case to voters in all corners of the state.”
In addition to the Chair’s election, the Central Committee also elected Baltimore City Democratic Committee Chair Scherod C. Barnes as 1st Vice Chair.
Central Committee members are elected local Democratic leaders who represent the state’s 23 counties and Baltimore City.
Matthews, a Montgomery County resident, has worked in Maryland and Washington D.C. for 40 years as a political activist, journalist and communications executive. She is a graduate of Stanford University and a 2004 Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
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