2019 DNC Winter Meeting  ... 1 of 4 >
Feb. 14-16, 2019 - Members of the Democratic National Committee gathered in Washington for the party's winter meeting took stock of Democratic gains in the 2018 midterms and looked ahead to elections in 2019 and 2020 [schedule, transcript, related documents].  DNC Chairman Tom Perez touted the DNC's "unprecedented investments" in the midterms.  He declared, "We're halfway up the mountain top, and...I understand that the second half of the climb is harder than the first half."  Perez highlighted the just announced data sharing agreement with state parties as a "game changer."  The Democratic Data Exchange (DDEx) will "allow candidates, state parties, the DNC and the progressive ecosystem to share data and leverage all of the voter contact work of the entire Democratic community."  On the 2020 presidential campaign, Perez emphasized the DNC's role in "making sure that we have a primary process that is fair and even handed to everyone."  Specifically candidates will be able to qualify for the first two presidential primary debates in June and July by meeting a threshold of either polling numbers or grassroots fundraising.  
Stacey Abrams, who came up just short in the 2018 governor's race in Georgia and recently delivered the Democratic response to the State of the Union Address, spoke on Friday, emphasizing the need to counter Republican voter suppression efforts.
Rev. Al Sharpton spoke at the general session on Saturday.

DNC video for Black History Month, "Our Power in Time," written and performed by Alix Philogene.

Lottie Shackleford and Stuart Appelbaum, co-chairs of the Resolutions Committee, present their report.  The committee took up 41 resolutions comprising 21 message resolutions and 20 commemorative resolutions.  For example, the committee approved resolutions to "Celebrate Democrats Retaking the House and Nancy Pelosi Returning to the Speakership" and "Condemning the Impact of the Trump Tax Law."  The committee likewise approved a resolution "Encouraging all Contenders for the 2020 Presidential Nomination to Run Positive, Substantive Campaigns Focused on the Issues that Matter Most to Working Families."  A resolution on the role of corporate money in party fundraising was put off for further work, however.
Karen Carter Peterson & John Currie, co-chairs of the credentials committee, present their report.  After a lengthy meeting on Thursday, the committee recommended that the Democratic Party of Alabama must hold new elections for chair and vice chair due to irregularities in the Aug. 2018 election; the DNC approved the order.

DNC Member Christine Pelosi sports a pin showing her mother, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Democrats are still weighing where to hold their 2020 national convention.  Three cities—Milwaukee, Houston and Miami Beach—are in the running; an announcement is expected soon and Milwaukee is considered the favorite.
Peggy Grove from Pennsylvania wore a Biden button. 
Selina Vickers from Fayetteville, WV, a Sanders delegate in 2016 and a 2018 candidate for West Virginia House, wore a button for Sanders' Our Revolution organization. 

At the time of this meeting the presidential field included nine major candidates and two exploratory candidates; neither Sanders nor Biden had announced whether they would run.  In fact there was very little overt presidential politicking at the DNC winter meeting, certainly no campaign signs.  Aides and advisors of a few of the candidates were spotted, including David Huynh, a senior advisor to Sen. Kamala Harris, Harris' Senate chief of staff Rohini Kosoglu, who spoke at the poverty caucus, and Clay Middleton, a South Carolina senior advisor to Sen. Cory Booker.  In the coming weeks the DNC will be reaching out to the presidential campaigns for briefings on party rules and the nominating process. 
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