If you are a follower of Democratic blogs in Virginia you may have seen a number of posts, recently, about the contest for First Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA). Vivian Paige does a fantastic job explaining what is going on.

(Note, in the explanation below, Vivian refers to the position as “1st VP” of the Party. More accurately, the position is First Vice-Chair for Organization. That being said, her explanation of the situation and race is spot-on.)

The position of 1st VP is the #2 slot in the party organization. In addition to filling in for the chair when s/he is absent, the 1st VP is charged with “strengthening county and city democratic committees, increasing their membership and activities, perfecting their organization, providing necessary training, and acting as a liaison to congressional district and county and city democratic committees regarding statewide coordinated campaign activities.”

If the 1st VP is female, a DNC slot also goes along with it. If not, the slot goes to the next highest ranking female in the party organization.

…

Secondly, there has been a tradition in the DPVA to have a black 1st VP if the chair is white. Is it in the rules? Nope, not any more than it is in the rules that Norfolk’s vice mayor is black or that Norfolk’s boards and commissions reflect the same racial makeup as council. It is what it is. – Vivian Paige

Follow below the fold for a discussion of the candidates, and what the heck this is all about.On her blog, Vivian goes on to explain her reasons for supporting one of the candidates for the position, Gaylene Kanoyton. Gaylene is the Chair of the Hampton Democrats. A position she stepped into when the Chair became vacant, and the Hampton Democrats needed a leader.

Opposing Gaylene is the Susan Mariner, who is going against long-standing DPVA tradition by running. She is a new face for the party, having gotten her start with the Webb campaign. Susan has been active in Democratic politics since 2003, and gained statewide visibility for her efforts on the Webb campaign. (Thanks for the clarification! – P13) Since then, she has become Chair of the Virginia Beach Democrats, and kept in regular contact with her compatriots from the Webb campaign who run Blue Virginia.

(It appears that the third candidate, Ella Ward, has dropped out of the race and endorsed Gaylene.)

At its heart, the race for 1st Vice Chair has become a proxy fight between competing visions for the Democratic Party of Virginia. On one side is the Party organization model, which has been in place for generations and emphasizes gradual development of leaders and organization based on existing precedents and power structures. On the other side is a model of new activism, which can be characterized by social media, blogging and people who have come to the Democratic Party of Virginia in the past five years or so, at least in part as a reaction to Republican depredations over the past decade.

Gaylene has served Virginia Democrats for years, and worked her way up through the organization. When there was an major vacancy in her local organization, she filled it with grace and energy. She has piled up endorsements from the existing powerful figures within the Party. She meets the criteria of Party tradition by being an African American candidate during a period when the Chair is white. In working her way up through the Party, Gaylene has impressed and engaged the people she has worked with, and served when and as Democrats needed her. Her candidacy is based on that call to serve her Party and fellow Democrats.

Susan Mariner burst onto the Virginia Democratic scene only four years ago, during the Webb campaign. The NetRoots of Virginia identifies with her background and story. She rose quickly to become Chair of the Virginia Beach Democrats in a competitive election (even as Gaylene became Chair of the Hampton Democrats when that seat fell vacant and leadership was needed). Her candidacy is based on bringing new people and faces into the Democratic Party, rather than a long history of Democratic participation and organization. She has taken her run for 1st Vice Chair across the Commonwealth, going to local committee meetings and actively campaigning for the job as if she were running for statewide office (which, in effect, she is).

And then there’s the question of organizational precedent. Race is a real issue in America, and nowhere more than Virginia. Virginia Democrats of recent generations have not been afraid of race. We have been honest about our past and done our best to make up for those failings of our history with action in the present. We elected the first black governor in the history of America. In 2008, the Virginia Democratic Party helped deliver the capital of the Confederacy to our first African American President. Our tradition of advancing African American leaders within our Party organization has made us stronger and smarter across our base of voters.

That being said, the Democratic Party central organization has been accused of being ineffectual over the past few years. Local organizations and activists have been frustrated with its responsiveness and leadership. the campaigns we have won have sometimes been seen to be victories in spite of, rather than because of, the central Party organization. I believe things have improved under David Mills, as the party is now at least issuing opinions on matters of import to the Commonwealth. But improvement is not success, in and of itself. There is an argument to be made that more fundamental changes need to happen at the DPVA, to engage newer and younger Democrats.

I have no candidate in this race. I believe our Democratic Party will be well served by choosing either Gaylene or Susan. We are all Democrats. As our State Party Plan says,

Every resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia who believes in the principles of the Democratic Party is hereby declared to be a member of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Our 1st Vice Chair is there for all of us, and I believe both candidates understand and exemplify that truth. Regardless of the outcome of the vote tomorrow, Virginia Democrats will be stronger for having a competitive race for 1st Vice Chair, and for having become engaged in the future of our Party as a result.

[Update] Vivian has posted her final thoughts on the 1st Vice Chair and the significance of the position.