Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad discusses 2026 priorities and her work with DNC Chair Ken Martin
by Seth Boun
Good afternoon and welcome back to our continuing coverage of the Washington State Democratic Convention in Spokane. Amidst the day’s busy schedule of caucus and council meetings, plus a few trainings, State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad sat down with reporters to talk about the convention, the party’s pickup opportunities in the midterms, and DNC Chair Ken Martin’s efforts to move the national party out of the doldrums. (Martin is a featured speaker at tonight’s evening convention reception.)
In her opening remarks, Chair Conrad touted the convention’s turnout, emphasizing that the party is seeing robust participation from every corner of the state. She mentioned that the first night had three hundred and fifty in-person attendees and has several hundred again today; the general session tomorrow will have even more.
Conrad also told the press that organizing remains the party’s top priority. Washington Democrats believe that year-round organizing needs to be a guiding north star rather than election-only engagement. Increasing the party’s investments in rural communities and districts is essential for Democrats to win more seats, she said.
With respect to electoral priorities, keeping the right wing from getting a foothold on the Washington State Supreme Court is one of the party’s top objectives in the coming 2026 midterms. A somewhat unprecedented five positions are on the ballot this year, and Republicans are hoping to win at least some of the contests for those positions.
https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2026/06/washington-state-democratic-party-chair-shasti-conrad-discusses-2026-priorities-and-her-work-with-dnc-chair-ken-martin.html