Indian-Origin Washington State Democratic Party Chairperson Shasti Conrad is elected

Shasti Conrad, an Indian-American political strategist, has been chosen as the next chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, making history as the nation's youngest and first Indian-American woman to head a state party.

With the backing of Governor Jay Inslee, Washington's Democratic US senators, the majority of the state's Democratic congressional delegation, and most other elected Democrats, 38-year-old political strategist Conrad ran unchallenged.

Conrad, who started working on political campaigns in 2008 as a field organizer for then-Senator Obama's primary campaign, said she was "very honored" to have the chance to lead our state party and build on the amazing victory Washington Democrats have won at the polls over the last six years.

In a statement released on Saturday, she said, "I'm delighted to work with Democratic leaders from every neighborhood to construct an extraordinary field operation that will take the message of how Washington Democrats are delivering for working people to every voter.

"Shasti Conrad was affirmed as the new chair of the Washington State Democrats today. Conrad is not only the nation's first South Asian and Indian American woman to hold the position of State Democratic Party Chair, but also the party's first woman of color and youngest chair "according to a statement from the Democrats in Washington State.

Tina Podlodowski, who had been the party chair since 2017, was succeeded by Conrad, a longtime executive of the King County Democrats.

I'm ecstatic to hand the baton over to my buddy Shasti Conrad. Over the last six years, Shasti has played a significant role in our attempts to develop a top-notch state party that has achieved unparalleled electoral victory in both state and federal elections "Podlodowski, the departing party chief, stated.

According to the statement, Conrad takes over the reins of a group whose voter contact operation has been crucial to Democrats' statewide political domination since the 2016 election.

Locally, Conrad held the position of Chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. County Democrats from 2018 to 2022. During that time, she generated close to $300,000 USD for the county party organization, which was in debt when she initially assumed the position.

Conrad has won numerous accolades for her work creating virtual fundraisers during the pandemic's peak as a political consultant who works with candidate campaigns and political action committees across the nation, including the prestigious Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants in 2022 for Sen.

Conrad was recognized by Seattle Met Magazine as one of the most significant figures in Seattle politics and one of the "40 Under 40" by the American Association of Political Consultants.

She graduated with honors from Seattle University and a master's degree in public affairs from Princeton University.