Jesse Chadderdon is right to heap laurels on the head of outgoing NCC Dem Chair, Whatshisname. But I think “he welcomed new people into the Party, kept long-serving members meaningfully engaged” does not do justice to how the outgoing chair dragged the party into the modern era by allowing Democratic Party voters to decide primaries – not the party. As Joe Biden might have said, that’s a big fucking deal.
While there are still some hold out RDs where the good old boys still jealously guard their little bit of power, and sure Bethany Hall Long types will do everything they can to return the days of the backroom deal – but, in large part thanks to Dave’s hard work, the genie has escaped the bottle.
Nobody is more responsible for the historic success of our Party than Dave Woodside. He’s smart, he’s fair, he’s creative, he’s open-minded, he’s driven, and more than anything, he cares far more about doing right by the Party than any one person’s ego – including his own.
The results in New Castle County speak for themselves: five seats flipped from red to blue, zero seats lost to the GOP, and historic turnout two years running. But it didn’t happen by accident. Dave was a key driver of innovative programs that funneled critical resources to where they could do the most good. He welcomed new people into the Party, kept long-serving members meaningfully engaged, and made sure every single process over which he presided was fair and done in accordance to the rules. He consistently found ways to celebrate our Party’s diversity, while using his influence to stress fidelity to our Platform.