Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters has announced she will be leaving as chair of the state party. Her statement is posted below. At this time, there are five (5) announced candidates interested in becoming the next ODP Chair. The ODP State Executive Committee will be electing the next ODP Chair on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. The announced candidates are:
- Kathleen Clyde – Former Ohio House of Representatives; former Portage County Commissioner; 2018 Ohio Secretary of State candidate.
- Bill DeMora – Currently Ohio State Senator representing the Columbus area; currently serves as Senior Consultant and Parliamentarian for the Ohio Democratic Party; former Executive Director of the Ohio Democratic Party; former Executive Director of the Ohio League of Conservation Voters; serves as the Ohio Democratic Party’s Convention and Delegate Director; has led numrous statewide and national political campaigns at municipal, statewide and national office; former campaign manager for several statewide and legislative candidates.
- Kyle Herman – Currently Stow City Councilmember At-Large; former writer for a president and a mayor.
- Kim McCarthy – Currently Green County Democratic Party Chair; 2018 and 2020 candidate for Ohio House of Representatives.
- Tamie Wilson – 2018 and 2020 candidate for U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent Jim Jordan
The Ohio Democrats PRIDE Caucus is hosting a candidates forum with all five (5) candidates on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at 6:30pm. You MUST register for the event. Once registered, you will receive an email with the link information. See information below.
YOU MUST RSVP TO RECEIVE LINK INFORMATION.
RSVP HERE VIA MOBILIZE.*************************
STATEMENT FROM ODP CHAIR LIZ WALTERSFellow Democrats –
I write today with an important notice about the leadership of the Ohio Democratic Party. After much reflection and deliberation, I have decided to step down as your Chair, no later than June 30, 2025.
Making the decision to leave was not easy. It has been an honor, and a true vocation, to serve as the Chair of the Party that I love in the state I call home. Increasing demands in the care of my family, the natural transition after a primary election, and a new professional opportunity, have made this the best time for change. More importantly, the Ohio Democratic Party has the organizational and financial strength to not only survive a transition, but to do so in a way that allows a new Chair to thrive.
The state of the OH Dems organization is in the strongest possible position for change. Our finances are in good shape, the staff is strong and focused on important party services and critical programs, and completing a Chair transition now ensures the next leader of our party will have a healthy amount of time to get their legs under them before the 2026 cycle begins in earnest. Additionally, and perhaps the first time in my awareness, Ohio Dems can have a Chair selection process not pressured by financial crisis or hostile, post-election dynamics. It is possible for this to be a forward-looking, visionary process.
As members of our governing body and county leaders, I wanted you to be the first to know. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this decision and the process ahead with each of you by phone if you so desire. An article announcing this news more widely will be going out shortly.
I look forward to cataloging all the great work we have done together over the next month. For now, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the honor of serving as your Chair these last four and a half years. Together, we have rebuilt an organization that has helped win important fights and lay a strong foundation for future growth.
A formal meeting notice will be sent out before the end of this week. Please save the date for the evening of Tuesday, June 10 for the election of our next Chair at a location TBA in Columbus.
As we enter into this phase of robust discussion about the future of the Ohio Democratic Party, here are my commitments to you:
The OH Dems Staff will remain focused on the important work of supporting municipal candidates, protecting voters at risk of purge, advancing our critical base-building project, and more. They will also be kept out of the Chair race proceedings and will remain neutral in the election.
We will execute a fair Chair election with several opportunities for Executive Committee members to hear from prospective candidates via zoom sessions and one-on-one communication. To facilitate the best conversation with each of you, we are asking each member to complete this survey with a preferred contact method.
I will work with my successor on an organized and supportive transition. Until June 30, I can give significant time to discussions, relationship connections, in-depth reviews, and more. I commit to being available for check-ins as much as possible in the months that follow to answer any lingering questions.
I will persist in this fight with all of you. In addition to being an elected member of the Central Committee from District 28, my next role will keep me in the political space. While I will no longer serve as your Chair, my belief that Ohio is worth fighting for, will not waiver.
You’ll hear more from me soon. For now, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so excited to see what is next for OH Dems.
Best,
Liz
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Liz Walters
ChairOhio Democratic Party