KANSAS CITY (KMOX) - At Saturday’s State Committee Meeting in Jefferson City, The Missouri Democratic Party elected Russ Carnahan as its next chair.
In a news release Carnahan said "“The encouragement from rural and urban party leaders on the State Committee and from many of our top Federal, State, and Local elected leaders has convinced me that together we can do this. My first job is to listen. And I'm a good listener. Then, build our bottom-up organizing and networking to deliver the Democratic message from local candidates and leaders in every district. From the top down, we can put that organization to work and market it across Missouri and the coun
try. I believe supporters will want to INVEST in a smart unified plan for the Missouri Democratic Party.”
Former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Russ Carnahan most recently was an early leader for the 2020 Biden campaign where he served as an outside adviser. From 2005-2013, Carnahan represented Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District, including urban and rural areas in the St. Louis region.
He served in a number of leadership roles, including as Senior Democratic Whip from 2009-13 and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Center Aisle Caucus focused on common sense solutions for both political parties.
Carnahan was selected as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations and received a Presidential Appointment from the Obama/Biden Administration as Congressional Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.
He also served on the U.S. House of Representatives committees for Transportation & Infrastructure; Science & Technology; and Veterans Affairs. Carnahan began his career in public service when he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2000. He was Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and Deputy Majority Whip.
Carnahan is the son of former Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan and his mother Jean Carnahan became a U.S. Senator, taking her husband's seat after Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash.
In addition to electing Russ Carnahan as chair, the State Democratic Committee elected Yvonne Reeves Chong as the Vice Chair. The vice-chair position became vacant after the resignation of Michael Butler on March 1, 2023