NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

For Immediate Release: Nov. 12th, 2010
Contact: Eric Jotkoff, (850) 222-3411

Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman Announces Retirement

In announcing her retirement as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, Chair Karen Thurman sent the following letter to party leaders and grassroots activists. A .PDF of the letter can be downloaded by clicking here:

November 12, 2010

Dear Florida Democratic Party Leaders,

Over the past six years as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, I have been honored by the trust and confidence you have placed upon me to lead our efforts to empower the grassroots and build a lasting infrastructure for our party.

Working together, we have upgraded our technology, modernized our strategies, cultivated a new generation of Democratic leaders, and raised more funds than at any point in our party's history. We have worked to register new Democratic voters, leading to record gains in our party's membership. Our investments in building and sustaining our Voter File have allowed us to accurately target and actively engage voters across the Sunshine State.

We have built a successful new media communications program, which allows us to regularly communicate with hundreds of thousands of Floridians through email to recruit volunteers and fundraise online. And I am especially proud of the fact that of the over 38,000 donations to the Florida Democratic Party since I became Chair, nearly 65% of these donations were grassroots contributions of $250 or less.

Recently, while we have watched the Republican Party of Florida face arrests and indictments for their party's activities, we have shown the Sunshine State that Florida Democrats are the party of honest and ethical leadership.

We have put in place the best professional staff of any Democratic State Party in the nation, who I would like to personally thank for their tireless work and selfless dedication to our party. Providing the guidance and leadership for our staff, as well as helping them accomplish the goals we set, has been the most rewarding part of my tenure as Chair. I hope you will continue showing our staff the same respect and level of support that you have provided over the past many years.

After many months of reflection and discussion with my family, our staff, and many of you, I have decided to retire as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. In the coming months I look forward to not only spending more time with my husband, John, my children, and grandchildren, but also continuing to serve the Florida Democratic Party. I have pledged to do everything in my power to help ensure that the Chair we elect in the near future has a seamless transition and is ready to succeed in the role.

And I would like to thank each of you for your support, your work on behalf of the Florida Democratic Party, and most importantly for your continued friendship. There is still much work to be done as we continue fighting for our values, for the Democratic solutions to the problems facing the Sunshine State, and for the leaders we need to move our state forward.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Karen Thurman
Chair, Florida Democratic Party

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