Susan Swecker
Chair of the Virginia Democratic Party
Assumed office
June 28, 2015
Preceded byDwight Clinton Jones
Personal details
Born
Susan Reid Swecker
Political partyDemocratic
EducationMary Baldwin College (BA)
Washington and Lee University (JD)

Susan Reid Swecker is an American public affairs consultant serving as the chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia since 2015. She was a chairwoman of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Early life and education

Swecker was raised on a farm in Highland County, Virginia.[1] She grew up in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.[1] She volunteered in the Jimmy Carter 1976 presidential campaign.[2] Swecker served as chairman of the democratic party of Highland County for six months.[2] She earned a B.A. in political science at Mary Baldwin College in 1977.[1][3] She completed a Juris Doctor degree at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.[3]

Career

She began working as a legislative aide for state senator Frank W. Nolen following his special election win in 1977.[2] In January 1978, Swecker conducted her first visit to the Virginia General Assembly.[2] She worked on the 1978 U.S. senate campaign of Andrew Miller.[2] She moved to Blue Ridge, Virginia in 1978.[1] In 1980, she was a field operations assistant with the United States Census Bureau where she supervised crew leaders and enumerators.[2] The position ended in mid-June.[2] In June 1981, she was elected first vice president of the Blue Ridge Democratic Women's Club.[4] On December 3, 1981, Swecker, a member of the Augusta County Democratic Committee, was elected to serve a two-year term as its chair.[5][6] From 1986 to 1988, she was the executive director of the Democratic Party of Virginia.[7] She served as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's southern caucus.[8] In 1992, Swecker served as the campaign manager of Steve Musselwhite, a first-time candidate for Virginia's 6th congressional district.[1]

In 2000, Swecker was chairwoman of the Virginia delegation to the Democratic National Convention.[9] She successfully lobbied the Virginia General Assembly for the 2004 Virginia Democratic presidential primary to occur in February, prompting visits by its candidates.[8] She was the state director of the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign.[8]

Swecker was chairwoman of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.[10] In 2013, she served on the transition team of Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe.[10] She was a member of the Democratic National Committee.[11] In 2015, she was elected as chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, succeeding Dwight Clinton Jones.[11] In 2022, she was reelected as party chair.[10] During her tenure, the party expanded from four full-time staff and an annual operating budget of under US$1 million to 15 unionized full-time staff members and a budget of over US$3 million.[12] She is a public affairs consultant and the president of Dividing Waters Public Affairs LLC.[13][3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Yancey, Dwayne (1992-10-29). "As tight race nears end, managers prove their worth". The Roanoke Times. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nicoll, Brenda (1980-03-20). "Three Trips to the Capitol Can't Shake Aide's Faith In State Representatives". The News-Virginian. p. 28. Retrieved 2023-11-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "Chairwoman Susan Swecker". Democratic Party of Virginia. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  4. ↑ "Club officers elected". The Daily News Leader. 1981-06-14. p. 23. Retrieved 2023-11-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "County Demos Pick Swecker". The News-Virginian. 1981-12-04. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-11-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Susan Swecker seeks chairmanship". The News-Virginian. 1981-12-10. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-11-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Cain, Andrew (2015-03-30). "Swecker takes helm of state Democratic Party". Inside Nova. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  8. 1 2 3 Sluss, Michael (2004-07-27). "In Boston, she runs show for Va. group". The Roanoke Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Devoted to Democrats since birth". The Roanoke Times. 2000-08-13. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-11-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 3 "Swecker reelected chairwoman of Virginia Democratic Party". Associated Press. 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  11. 1 2 "Va. Democrats choose Susan Swecker as new chair". The Virginian-Pilot. 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  12. ↑ Vozzella, Laura (March 19, 2022). "Swecker easily wins reelection as Virginia Democratic Party chairwoman". Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Moomaw, Graham (2022-03-16). "After 2021 losses, Swecker looks to retain role as chair of Va. Democrats". Virginia Mercury. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
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