OLYMPIA, Wash. — Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, announced she was stepping down Wednesday in an open letter to Democrats.
“Upon consultation with my family over the Holiday break, I’ve decided to not run for re-election as State Party Chair, but instead pass the torch to a new generation of leaders ready to use that torch to light the fires of democracy and teamwork and community around our state,” Podlodowski said.
She was elected in 2017 as the Washington State Democratic Party chair, becoming the first woman to hold the seat in over 30 years and the only openly LGBTQ+ chair in the party's history.
In the letter, she cites several accomplishments of the party during her six-year term, which includes flipping the 8th and 3rd congressional districts, increasing diversity in the state legislature and establishing Democratic holds on all statewide offices.
“Frankly, we’ve accomplished everything I set out to do when I became Chair, especially the most important reason I ran for the job to begin with – expand voting rights and access in Washington,” she states.
Podlodowski referred to Democratic policies in the letter, such as same-day voter registration, pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds and the Washington State Voting Rights Act, amongst others.
Her public service experience includes one term in the Seattle City Council from 1995 to 1999. She ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of State and lost to incumbent Kim Wyman in 2016. Before her career in politics, she was a Microsoft executive.
Her last day in the position will be on Jan. 28 during the State Committee Meeting in Olympia, when a new chair will be elected.
