Lavora Barnes to step down as chair of Michigan Democrats
Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes on Thursday morning announced she would not run for reelection to the post next year after serving in the role since 2019.
Barnes, who is the first Black woman to serve as state party chair for the Democratic Party, posted a memo about her announcement on social media and on the state party's website, saying, "We have been in the eye of the storm here in Michigan, and I’m immensely proud of the work we have done and the organization we have built together."
"We have revolutionized how Democrats run campaigns in this state. As you all know, 2016 was a wake-up call for Michigan Democrats. We realized that our number one goal needed to be putting our heads down and building a party to do the work needed to win year-round — and we did it," she continued.
During Barnes' time as chairwoman and, before that as operations director, Democrats have seen huge gains politically, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson being elected in 2018 and again in 2022; U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters winning reelection in 2018 and 2020, respectively; and the party taking control of both chambers of the state Legislature for the first time in nearly four decades in 2022.
Barnes was a longtime activist and took over as the state party's operations director in 2015 under then-party Chairman Brandon Dillon.
Last week's election saw a setback to those gains, however, as Republican former President Donald Trump won the state, as he did in 2016; control of the state House reverted back to Republicans and the GOP took a 7-6 edge in the state's congressional delegation. Democrats, however, managed to win another U.S. Senate race as U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly beat Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake.
"While our losses this year are deeply painful, in a year with stronger headwinds than we have ever seen nationally, we held our ground here," Barnes said. "Thanks to the infrastructure we have built these past nine years, and the hard work of Democrats across the state, we are sending Elissa Slotkin to the U.S. Senate, Kristen McDonald Rivet to Congress, and Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas to the Supreme Court. At the local level, we have held and won numerous county commission and school board seats where dedicated Democrats are fighting to build a brighter future for everyone."
"We ran in hard races across the state, and we ran those races well, which is why I know that we will continue to show up for working Michiganders everywhere — and we will continue to grow our tent as we righteously fight for every single person in our great state," she said.
Whitmer called Barnes "an incredible leader" for the Democrats.
"She took over after the 2016 election and built back our infrastructure to deliver transformational wins in 2018, 2020, and 2022, including the election and reelection of three statewide Democratic candidates and the first Democratic trifecta in 40 years. She has led by example, making the Michigan Dems a model for success in other swing states. I look forward to working with her going forward,“ Whitmer said.
While it was not immediately known who could run to replace Barnes, one name being mentioned by some is former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., who was an aide to Whitmer and lost a race to fill Slotkin's U.S. House seat last week to former state Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte.
Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lavora Barnes to step down as chair of Michigan Democrats