WASHINGTON—Kalyn Free, an Oklahoma Democrat and Choctaw tribal citizen, lost the Democratic National Committee vice chair revote Friday, falling short of Shasti Conrad, the Washington state Democratic Party chair.
With roughly 56% of the vote, Conrad secured her role as a DNC vice chair this Friday, triumphing over Free in a closely contested and extended runoff election.
“This was the longest election in DNC history,” Conrad said on X. “And every vote cast reflected our shared belief in building a stronger, more inclusive Democratic Party.”
The initial re-election ballot, involving Free, Conrad, and Kansas Democratic Party Chair Jeanna Repass, was inconclusive after no candidate earned a majority of votes. This led to a runoff vote, which began Wednesday and concluded Friday, between Free and Conrad, ultimately resulting in Conrad’s election.
The revote followed Free’s successful challenge to the DNC, which resulted in the invalidation of the initial February election due to violations of procedural and gender parity rules.
Throughout the extended election process, Free garnered attention for her campaign’s focus on rural and Native American communities, positioning herself as a voice for overlooked communities within the party.
“The Democratic party’s goal is not solely to elect the President of the United States, although that is a primary function of the National Party,” Free said. “But it’s also to build in states and to build strong parties in the states. It’s very difficult to operate, not just in Oklahoma, but in other red states, if we don’t have a strong party apparatus.”
Emphasizing that she stood alone in challenging the DNC’s February election, Free hoped her extensive experience as a red-state Democrat, civil attorney, and Native American would be enough to secure her victory.
“There would not be new elections for vice chair had I not stood alone fighting for justice and what is right,” Free said in a video submitted to DNC members last week. “But as a Native American woman and attorney, that is not new for me.”
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.
