PETER O’MALLEY ELECTED CHAIR OF MARYLAND DEMOCRATIC PARTY

ANNAPOLIS – The Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland today unanimously elected a new slate of officers, including Peter O’Malley as Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party.

Mr. O’Malley takes the helm of the Party after a successful career as a strategist, manager and organizer in Maryland politics. He has an impressive leadership record of electing Democrats, including as both senior advisor in the successful 2006 and 2010 gubernatorial campaigns of his brother, Governor Martin O’Malley, and manager of successful mayoral campaigns in Baltimore in 1999 and 2003. Peter O’Malley was also chief of staff to former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith.

In her enthusiastic support of Mr. O’Malley, outgoing Chair Susan Turnbull noted that, “Serving as Chair has been a great honor and privilege. I have been fortunate to lead a Party that has enjoyed tremendous electoral success, and I now am happy to pass the torch to Peter O’Malley, an experienced and effective Democratic leader, to strengthen and expand the Party as we prepare to re-elect Senator Ben Cardin and President Obama.”

Addressing the Committee, Mr. O’ Malley said, “I am so thankful for this tremendous and humbling opportunity to once again work with Democrats in all corners of Maryland. Our Party represents the best of our State and is committed to tackling the challenges we face to move us forward to a better future, while the other side is simply stuck in the past and beholden to the same old tired policies that don’t work. In Maryland we’ve set the standard on how to win, and together we will lead the charge to protect the progress we have made.”

Other officers elected are Yvette Lewis (Prince George’s County) as First Vice Chair, Oscar Ramirez (Montgomery County) as Second Vice Chair, Robert Kresslein (Western Region) as Treasurer, Beth Swoap (Southern Region) as Secretary, Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley (Eastern Shore ) as Deputy Treasurer, and Duane A. ‘Tony’ Baysmore (Baltimore County) as Deputy Secretary.