Yesterday, Susan Mariner once again demonstrated her work ethic and commitment to the Democratic Party by driving all the way from Virginia Beach to Leesburg to meet with the Loudoun County Democratic Committee and discuss her candidacy for DPVA 1st Vice Chair.
Well beyond this particular election, what Susan is committed to doing is listening to Democrats doing the hard work “on the ground.” That’s why she’s traveling around the Commonwealth, asking for people’s thoughts, meeting with local elected officials and party leadership, and learning firsthand what’s happening with the Democratic Party in key battleground counties like Loudoun.
Susan points out that many Democrats “downstate” tend to think of Loudoun as Northern Virginia, which to many people is synonymous with Fairfax County. That, of course, is not the case. And, Susan adds, it’s important that the 1st Vice Chair have the time to commit to understanding and representing all of the state, not just one part.
Susan reports that last night, in speaking with the Loudoun County Democrats at their meeting, nobody could remember any members of the DPVA leadership attending any event other than a fundraiser. Having worked on campaigns professionally (Susan served as the general election Political Director in Hampton Roads for Barack Obama, also as an advisor on Senators John Miller’s and Ralph Northam’s tough Red to Blue election victories in 2007, etc), she understands numbers, campaign strategy, and tactics. Even more importantly, perhaps, Susan also understands how critical it is for campaigns to listen to Democrats who know their communities and their voters better than any staffer.
Last but not least, Susan believes that a key aspect of the 1st Vice Chair should be to interface between the DPVA and statewide campaigns, which makes understanding the entirety of the state absolutely critical. Fortunately, when Susan is elected DPVA 1st Vice Chair in 8 days, we will not only have someone who understands Virginia and meets the other criteria cited above, we will have a committed, hard-working, dynamic, inclusive leader who takes the DPVA to another level of excellence. Go Susan!
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