Kimberly Ellis Announces Candidacy for Chair of the California Democratic Party

After barely losing the 2017 Democratic Chairmanship race to the previous Los Angeles Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, fellow Democrat Kimberly Ellis has announced she will again campaign for the opportunity to lead California’s Democratic Party.

Ellis’s announcement comes after just last month Bauman was forced to resign when he found himself engulfed in a serious sexual misconduct allegation. Stemming from staffers within the Democrat Party, the allegation suggested that Bauman had engaged in highly inappropriate sexual misconduct language and furthermore, that he had been very ‘hands on’ with a particular employee.

In an online statement Ellis said, “right now, who we are as a Party has come starkly into question.” And, “we – elected leaders, the labor community, delegates and activists, have to find an answer, and find it quickly.”

She also added, “after deep consideration and long conversations with delegates, elected officials, labor leaders, social justice advocates and Party activists who urged me to consider taking up the mantle, I’ve decided to answer the call and run for Chair of the California Democratic Party.”

Originating from California’s Bay Area region, Ellis can best be described as a progressive activist who has been very outspoken regarding the state’s lack of leadership and the party’s overall path. In an effort to outline her vision she wrote, “reform the tone, tenor and culture of the California Democratic Party and rebuild the trust that has been broken.”

While the nomination isn’t expected to take place until May at the state party convention in San Francisco, Ellis’s announcement is significant because she is the first and only Democrat to announce a campaign.

Not only has last years close race put her right back in the driver’s seat for the position, but current interim chair Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker who originally had hopes of fulfilling the spot has faced major backlash for her governance. Gallardo-Rooker closed the party’s Los Angeles office just over a week ago which sent numerous top Democrats into frenzy before she fired nearly six more senior level staffers.

Gallardo-Rooker has since said she will not seek to fill the chairmanship.