DNC members express alarm over Alabama Democratic Party changes

Members of the Democratic National Committee said Friday that they are concerned about the operations of the Alabama Democratic Party and the elimination of several caucuses intended to ensure a diversity of voices in party affairs. The comments at a meeting of the Democratic National Convention’s Rules and Bylaws Committee come amid an ongoing feud over state party leadership and the possibility that national officials might again intervene in the state party as they did four years ago. The Democratic National Committee in 2019 had directed the Alabama Democratic Party to update bylaws to provide representation of more minorities, not just African Americans, in party affairs. That led to the creation of minority caucuses to ensure representation of young voters, LTBTQ community members, and others. But the state party in May abolished some of those caucuses with proponents arguing they were unneeded. “We’re equally alarmed by the bylaws and the operational allegations which seem to prevent the full participation of members, if true,” said Minyon Moore, co-chair of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. Yvette Lewis, a member of the Democratic National Convention’s Rules and Bylaws Committee who urged the 2019 changes, said she had a “broken heart” over the recent actions in Alabama because it is “as if we did nothing.” “Diversity and expanding the party works,” Lewis said. She said there is opportunity for Democrats in Alabama after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a lower-court ruling requiring the state to draw new congressional districts and create a second district where Black voters comprise a significant portion of the electorate. “We can break that stronghold in the South. … There are people down there that so share our values, that so much want to be a part of the Democratic Party. We owe it to them,” Lewis said. Randy Kelley, the chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, asserted that the new bylaws did not cut representation. He argued youth and LGBTQ voters in the state are proportionately represented. “No one lost any representation,” Kelley said. “We want to grow the party.” He said if the DNC attempts to intervene in Alabama that they are prepared to go to the hearings and “plead our case.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.

Democratic National Committee to review a complaint about Alabama party organization

Democratic National Committee leaders on Saturday agreed to review concerns about how the Alabama Democratic Party operates, including its decision to eliminate several diversity caucuses. The DNC’s Executive Committee voted to refer “all pending and future challenges and complaints” about the matter to its Rules and Bylaws Committee, according to a document. The move came a day after members expressed alarm about the state party’s actions. The Democratic National Committee in 2019 directed the Alabama Democratic Party to update its bylaws to include diverse voices in party affairs. That led to creating diversity caucuses for young voters, LTBTQ community members, Hispanics, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and other groups. But at its May meeting, the state party abolished some of those caucuses, with proponents arguing they were unneeded or diluted the power of Black voters who make up the majority of the state’s Democratic electorate. Forty Alabama Democrats filed a complaint concerning the May meeting and bylaws adopted during it, indicating they wanted the DNC to review the issues if they weren’t resolved at the state level. Randy Kelley, chair of the Alabama Democratic Party, has maintained that the new bylaws did not cut representation. He said Friday that state party leaders were prepared to go to hearings and “plead our case” if the national party intervened. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.

Randy Kelley elected chair of Alabama Democratic Party

Randy Kelley was elected chair of the Alabama Democratic Party on Saturday in a victory for longtime powerbroker Joe Reed, who lost a battle over control three years ago. Kelley won with 104 votes out of the 202 cast by members of the state Democratic Executive Committee. Kelley is a former vice-chair of the party but lost the position during the 2019 power struggle when the Democratic National Committee ordered new elections. “I personally know we are more in line with what Jesus stood for. He was for the least of these, and our opposition is for the most wealthy of these,” Kelley, a minister from Huntsville, told the gathered Democrats after winning the election. Kelley narrowly escaped a runoff that would have been required if no candidate captured more than 50% of the vote. Kelley defeated former congressional candidate Tabitha Isner and Josh Coleman, the president of Alabama Young Democrats. Coleman received 56 votes. Isner received 42 votes. Isner was later elected vice-chair of the party. State Rep. Chris England, who had served as party chair since the 2019 power struggle, did not seek another term as chair. Kelley’s election was a victory for Reed, who had supported former chair Nancy Worley and Kelley in the 2019 power struggle. Reed, chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference, the state’s oldest Black political organization, had backed lawsuits that challenged bylaw changes that led to England’s election. Both of the state’s two major political parties met over the weekend. The governing body of the Alabama Republican Party passed a resolution urging the Alabama Legislature to approve closed primaries that require voters to register with a political party in order to vote in that party’s primary. Currently, Alabama has open primaries. The GOP also passed a resolution condemning the FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s residence as harassment and a federal overreach. The FBI recovered “top secret” and even more sensitive documents from Trump’s home, according to court papers released Friday. Republished with the permissionof The Associated Press.

Alabama Democratic Women announce virtual convention; looking for representatives

The National Federation of Democratic Women (NFDW) will be holding its national convention this year on June 11 and 12. The deadline to register for the “Women Build Back Better” event is today, May 25.    Alabama Democratic Women (ADW) president LaTanya Millhouse is one of the Co-Chairs for the virtual event.  ADW is a statewide organization and received its charter on April 13, 2019.  According to their website, ADW is a nonprofit political organization “dedicated to supporting the Democratic Party and Democratic Women in Alabama.” The group has an Executive Board comprised of five officers and Regional Directors to represent Alabama’s seven Congressional Districts. The ADW is looking for women interested in representing Alabama at the convention and in the future. Alabama will bid for the 2023 National Convention. Some of the positions needing to be filled include Director of Recruitment, Training Coordinator, Legislative Chair, and Voter Education Chair.  According to the NFDW website, the organization’s goal is to “unite women of the Democratic Party, to promote the cause of the Democratic Party, and to encourage full participation of women in every level of the Democratic Party Structure.” 

Steven Reed takes office as Montgomery’s first black mayor

Steven Reed

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed was sworn in Tuesday as the capital city’s first African American leader. Reed took the oath of office after easily winning the mayoral runoff last month. He is the first black mayor of a city that was the first capital of the Confederacy and later the birthplace of the civil rights movement. “We are assembled here because we chose destiny over division. Today, we are assembled here because we chose the future over fear,” Reed said. In a nod to his history-making win, Reed said his inauguration was an event that the enslaved people once sold on the banks of the Alabama River just a few feet from his inauguration ceremony “could only have imagined.” “This is a culmination of those distant dreams,” Reed said. Reed replaced outgoing Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, who has served since 2009 and did not seek reelection. Reed is the first black mayor of the city where Southern delegates voted to form the Confederacy in 1861. The city also played a critical role in the civil rights movement. Montgomery was a city that led the fight for change, he said. “This is why the son whose parents would not have been served in a local restaurant just up the street, and whose father led sit-in protests for equal treatment under the law can now take this oath and help write laws that apply equally to all,” Reed said. Reed said Montgomery is a city with a “complicated past” and ongoing challenges. The major said the city “must lay a new foundation for growth.” “We must lay more fiber, pay our teachers and first responders their worth, implement apprenticeship programs, reinvest in our neighborhoods, and show a stronger commitment to strengthen the ties that bind us together.” Reed was already the first black probate judge elected in Montgomery County and was one of the first to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in the state. His father, Joe Reed, is the longtime leader of the black caucus of the Alabama Democratic Party. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

Representative Chris England elected new Alabama Democratic chair; infighting continues

Chris England

An Alabama state representative was elected chair of the Alabama Democratic Party on Saturday after months of in-house bickering about the party’s leadership. But the election may not settle the ongoing battle between two factions of the party over governance and leadership, as the previously elected chair said she would not step down. Rep. Christopher England, of Tuscaloosa, received 104 of 171 ballots cast at the meeting of the State Democratic Executive Committee, the state party’s governing body, The Montgomery Advertiser reported. “Elected officials had to stand in the gap and create the platform the party did not have,” England said before the vote. “You’ve seen me stand for the issues that matter to us.” The vote came after the approximately 175 members of the SDEC voted 172 to 0 to remove Chair Nancy Worley and Vice-Chair Randy Kelley. After the vote, Worley said she was reelected in 2018 and she intends to continue leading the party. “The true SDEC members did not elect two new officers in our places today,” Worley said in a statement. “Randy and I look forward to continuing our leadership roles.” But the meeting represented a win for a group of Democrats opposed to Worley, who has chaired the state Democratic Party since 2013, and the Democratic National Committee, which ordered the state party in February to hold new elections and revise its bylaws to provide greater diversity on the SDEC. England, 43, a city attorney for Tuscaloosa, has served in the Alabama Legislature since 2006. He has been at the forefront of attempts to change the leadership and direction of the party and pledged before the vote to work to “leave no stone unturned” in rebuilding the party. He promised to rebuild local county organizations and staff up the state party. “As we kick the old folks out, the new folks are coming in,” he said. “We want to seize on that energy. We’re going to raise money, money like you’ve never seen.” Former Rep. Patricia Todd, Democrat-Birmingham, was elected vice-chair. Worley has previously accused the DNC of sending contradictory instructions and of trying to dilute the strength of African American voters in the party. The DNC said Worley missed deadlines and was nonresponsive to instructions. Without the orders implemented, the DNC refused to ratify the state’s delegate selection plan and warned that inaction by the state party could prevent Alabama from being seated at next year’s Democratic National Convention. That would effectively invalidate votes cast in next March’s Democratic presidential primary. A group of SDEC members, backed by U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, drafted a new set of bylaws that were approved by the DNC in September. The members then got a majority of the SDEC to vote to hold a meeting to ratify those bylaws on Oct. 5. At that meeting, the members set leadership elections for Nov. 2. Worley proceeded with her own meeting on Oct. 12, which ratified a second set of bylaws — not approved by the DNC — and set elections for Nov. 16. On Wednesday, Worley and Kelly sued to stop the meeting of the Democrats. Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin blocked the meeting in a decision late Friday, ruling that it would cause “chaos and confusion.” But the Alabama Supreme Court stayed the order about two hours later, allowing the gathering to proceed. The new party bylaws preserve the Minority Caucus to nominate African Americans to the SDEC. But they also create new caucuses to nominate Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, LGBTQ individuals, youth and those with disabilities. Approximately 68 people were seated from the youth, Hispanic, Native American and Asian/Pacific Islander caucuses on Saturday. Information from: Montgomery Advertiser, http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

Alabama Democratic Party dispute heads to court

Nancy Worley

A dispute over control of the Alabama Democratic Party is headed to court. Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley and others filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to stop a faction of the party’s governing committee from meeting this weekend to elect new leaders. The lawsuit contends the scheduled Saturday meeting, where the reform group intends to elect a new chair, is unauthorized and is being held “illegally.” “Plaintiffs contend that any officers and at-large members purportedly elected on Nov. 2, 2019, will have been improperly elected and may not serve,” the lawsuit states. Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin has scheduled a Thursday morning hearing on the request to block the meeting. The lawsuit is the latest twist in an ongoing struggle that has split the party’s executive committee into two factions. On one side is a reform group whose actions have been approved by the Democratic National Committee. On the other are members aligned with Worley and Joe Reed, the party’s vice chairman of minority affairs. Both sides had predicted the dispute would ultimately end up in court. The lawsuit names reform group organizers as defendants in the lawsuit. State Rep. Chris England, a defendant in the lawsuit, said he is comfortable the Nov. 2 meeting has been properly authorized. “I honestly don’t see how a court has jurisdiction to enjoin a meeting of this sort,” England said. The DNC directed the Alabama party to hold new elections for chair and vice chair and update bylaws to provide for the representation of more minorities and underrepresented groups in the party including Hispanics, LGBTQ individuals and young voters. State party leaders and the DNC have been engaged in a lingering dispute over those bylaws. The reform group held an Oct. 5 meeting in which about 78 of the more 200 executive committee members adopted new bylaws and scheduled the Nov. 2 meeting. The DNC has said those bylaws are binding on the party. The lawsuit argues the meeting was not properly called and the bylaws and the Nov. 2 meeting are invalid. Worley said Wednesday night that they had tried unsuccessfully to compromise with the “breakaway” group. “We believe the breakaway group has caused enough chaos in the Party; therefore, we hope the Court can take steps to remedy this problem,” Worley said. The dispute comes as the Nov. 8 deadline approaches for Democratic candidates to file paperwork with the state party to run in the 2020 elections. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press

Representative Chris England running for chair of Democratic Party

Chris England

State Rep. Chris England of Tuscaloosa said Monday that he is running for chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party. The Tuscaloosa legislator has been one of the leading advocates for changes in how the state party is run. England first made the announcement Sunday night on Twitter. He joins former congressional candidate Tabitha Isner and lieutenant governor candidate Will Boyd, who have already announced bids for party chair. England said the party needs to rebuild its deteriorated infrastructure and do more to welcome voters into the party’s “big tent.” “I think I can play a role in bringing those folks into our big tent and then hopefully we all work together to build a functional, diverse and competitive Democratic Party,” England said in a telephone interview. An ongoing struggle has split the party’s governing board into two factions — a reform group whose actions have been blessed by the Democratic National Committee and members aligned with current chairwoman Nancy Worley and Joe Reed, the party’s vice chairman of minority affairs. The DNC directed the Alabama party to hold new elections for chair and vice chair and update bylaws to provide for the representation of more minorities and underrepresented groups in the party and not just African Americans. England led an Oct. 5 meeting in which a faction of the State Democratic Executive Committee adopted new bylaws and planned a new election for chair. The Oct. 5 bylaws set up diversity caucuses to nominate Hispanics, LGBTQ individuals, young voters and others to the governing board known as the State Democratic Executive Committee. The group has scheduled a second meeting for Saturday to elect a chair. Worley has argued the Oct. 5 meeting was illegitimate. She scheduled a different meeting where a different set of bylaws were approved. The dispute appears likely to end up in court. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

New bylaws passed, but will DNC accept them?

Alabama’s State Democratic Executive Committee has voted 80 to 73 to adopt new bylaws supported by the party chairwoman at a contentious meeting in Montgomery. But the Montgomery Advertiser reports that the bylaws approved Saturday have not been adopted by the Democratic National Committee. Opponents of chairwoman Nancy Worley said the adoption of the latest bylaws comes well after a key deadline. Backers of another set of bylaws had succeeded in getting them adopted on Oct. 5 — the DNC submission deadline. Bur Worley contends that the Oct. 5 meeting was illegitimate. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

The Latest: Alabama capital elects its first black mayor

steven reed

The latest on the mayoral election in Montgomery, Alabama (all times local): 8:20 p.m. Voters in Alabama’s capital have elected the first black mayor in the city’s 200-year history.Probate Judge Steven Reed won Tuesday’s runoff election by a wide margin over David Woods, a white businessman. Reed will be the first African American mayor of the city where Southern delegates voted to form the Confederacy in 1861. Unofficial returns showed Reed capturing 67 percent of the vote with 98 percent of precincts reporting. He will replace current Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, who did not seek reelection. Reed is the first black probate judge of Montgomery County, and his father Joe Reed is the longtime leader of the black caucus of the Alabama Democratic Party. 4:30 a.m. Voters in Montgomery, Alabama, are about to elect a new mayor. Probate Judge Steven Reed and businessman David Woods face each other in the Tuesday runoff. The two were the top finishers in the first round of voting in August. Reed is the probate judge of Montgomery County. Woods is a businessman and owns WCOV-TV. The winner of the runoff will replace current Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange. Strange did not seek reelection. If Reed is elected, he will be the city’s first African-American mayor. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

Democrats approve new bylaws amid internal feud

AL Democrats

Members of the Alabama Democratic Party’s governing board on Saturday approved new bylaws and scheduled new leadership elections amid an ongoing internal feud that appears eventually destined for court. State Democratic Executive Committee members called their own meeting to comply with a directive from the Democratic National Committee officials to update bylaws to provide representation of more minorities — not just African Americans. The more than 75 committee members in attendance gave a standing ovation after the bylaws were adopted. “We are attempting to rebuild our party so we can be competitive in Alabama politics again,” Rep. Chris England, who was elected to preside over the meeting, told reporters afterward. “Hopefully, we will see a Democratic Party that is embracing all Democrats.” The Saturday action came after a longstanding power struggle within the party that has pitted longstanding leaders against a coalition fighting for changes. Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley and Joe Reed, the party’s vice-chair of minority affairs, did not attend the meeting, which Worley argued was not properly called. “I do not consider this to be an official meeting of the SDEC. I look forward to next Saturday’s SDEC meeting,” Worley wrote in a text message. The State Democratic Executive Committee has more than 200 members. Organizers said a majority agreed to the meeting, and they met the attendance threshold to conduct business. “We followed the rules. We abided by all the requirements in the old bylaws. I think we are in the right,” England said. But asked the chances that the dispute will end up in litigation, England responded “100 percent.” Members in attendance on Saturday offered different views on whether to attend the Oct. 12 meeting called by Worley. The DNC last year directed the state party to update party bylaws and hold new elections for chair and vice-chair. The DNC has indicated the state party’s ability to participate in the national convention is in jeopardy unless the changes are made. Despite the predictions of a messy legal fight to come, the mood in the Montgomery ballroom was jubilant as a bloc of the Democratic Party that has long pushed for changes was able to make some. A few members had blue T-shirts with the slogan “Nancy Worley Says I’m Going To Hell,” a reference to earlier comments by Worley. Worley has framed the bylaw dispute as an effort to reduce the power of African Americans within the party. She told a DNC panel they would face a “special circle in hell” for doing so. Rep. Napoleon Bracy, one of three African American lawmakers that were among committee members that submitted the proposed new bylaws to the DNC, said it is important that the state party be a “big tent” that mirrors the state. The new bylaws set up diversity caucuses to nominate Hispanics, LGBTQ individuals and others to the SDEC. Democrats in recent years have lost all statewide elections in Alabama with the exception of the 2017 election of U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. Some Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction in the current leadership’s efforts to fundraise and promote Democrats’ candidates and message. Jones issued a statement through his campaign calling it a “major step in the right direction.” State committee member Susan Cobb of Marion County said new leadership will hopefully mean “a more active party, not only on the ground but on social media.” “Every time the Republicans screw up, which happens all the time, you would have an immediate Democratic response instead of sitting there and saying nothing,” Cobb said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

Alabama Democratic Party faces new election deadline

Alabama Democratic Party

The Alabama Democratic Party faces an October deadline to hold new leadership elections and update bylaws as some members push to get the state organization back into compliance with the national party. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee on Friday approved proposed bylaws submitted by several members of the state party’s executive committee, including Democratic legislative leaders. The group made the submission on their own in an attempt to break through a stalemate that threatens Alabama Democrats’ ability to participate in next year’s DNC convention. National party officials wrote in a Saturday letter that the state party’s executive committee has until Oct. 5 to approve the bylaws and until Oct. 19 to hold internal elections. “It is essential that new bylaws and elections occur immediately to resolve this long ongoing problem as we head into key elections in 2020 and a time when all Democrats and all state parties need to be fully integrated and involved in what we need to do to win,” national party officials wrote. The deadline is the latest twist in the ongoing dispute between Alabama and national party officials. In February, the Democratic National Committee ordered the Alabama party to hold new elections for party leaders and to revise bylaws to provide representation of more minorities — not just African Americans — in the party. National party officials found multiple procedural irregularities with the election of Chair Nancy Worley and Vice Chair Randy Kelley. Last month, Worley and Kelley were stripped of their seats on the DNC because of missed deadlines to hold the new elections and get new bylaws approved. Worley did not immediately return text messages seeking comment. A DNC panel said previously that it won’t approve the state’s delegate selection plan until the state party holds new leadership elections under properly approved bylaws. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.

MORE STORIES