Vanessa Lester has spent the last eight years focused on building a more robust, inclusive, grassroots-driven and effective local Democratic Party.

 

In the 2016-2018 and 2018-2020 cycles, the Hillsborough County Democratic Party flipped State House seats, won a supermajority on the School Board and won a supermajority on the Board of County Commissioners, as well as delivering the County in support of Gillum and Biden to make Hillsborough County solidly blue.

 

In the 2020-2022 and 2022-2024 cycles, however, Hillsborough County has faltered badly in defending these gains, losing control of the Board of County Commissioners and watching as Trump outright won a majority of the vote in Hillsborough County in 2024. The landscape has shifted dramatically, and we cannot keep using the same playbook while expecting different results. We can no longer simply rely on a significant voter registration advantage - that reality no longer exists.

 

How do we show up differently in our communities to mobilize registered Democrats and turbocharge turnout? What do we need to do NOW, and on an ongoing basis, that isn't overly centered on GOTV and the final 100 days of a campaign? NPAs are currently 1/3 of the electorate in Florida - how do we message effectively and continue outreach so that our tent is ready to receive allies in the fight, allies who support our candidates? As Chair, Vanessa will focus on coalition-building in our communities (including through acts of service), as well as building a deep cadre of volunteers who are formally trained as organizers and who are able leverage deep canvassing skills.

 

As Chair, and leading by example, Vanessa will rely on her well-honed and intuitive deep canvassing skills to achieve this transformation. Personal growth comes outside our comfort zone! Research shows that vulnerability and authenticity are keys to human connection. Vanessa will challenge DEC members to go outside their comfort zones and show up consistently, in person, not just in meetings but also in their communities.

 

Leveraging her own lived experience as a Veteran, as a black person, as LGBTQ+, as a person with unseen disabilities, being raised in the church, Vanessa will bring an intersectional approach to her leadership style, methods and goals. 

 

Vanessa has worked within the Hillsborough County Democratic Party structure in order to: 

• organize through Precinct and Field for eight years;

• as First Vice Chair of Operations, worked closely with the Chair to oversee all operations and DEC work, as well as represent the Chair throughout the organization when necessary;

• fundraise for the Victory Fund through the Hillsborough Society, assisting with Spring Fling and Kennedy King (the two major annual fundraisers), and getting clubs and caucuses to donate; 

• build alliances with clubs, caucuses, and outside advocacy groups (not just within Hillsborough, but also throughout Florida);

• recruit volunteers and candidates for office; and

• refine strategy and messaging.

 

Vanessa has worked within the Florida Democratic Party structure in order to: 

• participate in State Central and State Executive Committee meetings, where she delivered on her promise to help eliminate the weighted vote and also voted in favor of accountability for DEC Chairs, helping to establish precedent that a DEC Chair could be removed by supermajority vote in the event of negligence or malfeasance;

• successfully organize and hold confidential elections for delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention as Congressional District 15 Chair (and CD 14 and CD 16 Vice Chair);

• actively participate on the FDP Campaign Committee GOTV Sub-Committee (created and presented an organizing model for GOTV in April 2022 that was well received);

• actively participate on the Judicial Council, the Resolutions Committee, and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the FDP;

• attend FDP By-Laws Committee meetings as an observer; 

• coordinate a unique, first-time collaborate effort across all the State Caucuses where she facilitated an online webinar in February 2023 to interview all the candidates then running for state chair; and

• subsequently facilitate a Democratic County Chairs Association (DCCA) candidate forum with the same candidates on the invitation of Ione Townsend as DCCA Chair. 

 

It is her immediate goal to win the confidence of her fellow elected Precinct Committeepersons and elected officials to become the next elected Chair for the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee.

 

I promise to use my leadership, my talents, and my heart + soul to build an even more robust, inclusive, grassroots-driven and effective Hillsborough County Democratic Party.

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