Christale Spain has made history by becoming the first Black woman elected leader of the South Carolina Democratic Party, reports Greenville News. She succeeds Trav Robertson who led the party since 2017.
Out of a total of 1,300 votes, 686 cast their ballots for Spain defeating her opponents Brandon Upson and Catherine Flemming Bruce to win the chair.
“I’m excited. I’m overwhelmed. I’m overjoyed. I’m just excited that the delegates chose me,” Spain said to reporters following her victory.
Although the race was hotly contested, the singular goal of the party is to defeat the GOP in the upcoming election cycle.
“I laid the foundation in 2020 when we mobilized 1.1 million voters, so we know. We’re going after them and we want to turn them out,” she said.
As the state’s party leader, Spain plans to include all perspectives on the “big tent” of South Carolina’s Democratic party.
“I’m a unifier. I ran a race that was above board,” Spain said. “I talked about who I was and what I’m going to do. And I look forward to working with my opponents. I look forward to working with the people who didn’t vote for me.”
Endorsed by U.S. Rep. Jame E. Clyburn, Spain brings a wealth of experience to the chairmanship. Her biography states that she’s a graduate of the University of South Carolina Aiken with a B.A. in Sociology, Human Services, and has a M.A. from Columbia College in Human Behavior and Conflict Management. A proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Spain joined the State Party as a volunteer in 2012 and became Executive Director in 2016. She also worked with Congressman James Clyburn in his district office focusing on constituency service and outreach. In her most recent post, she served as the Senior Advisor of Black Engagement for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
History was also made by Colleen Condon who became the first non-binary person elected to state office in South Carolina as the Democratic party’s 1st Vice-Chair.
Condon will serve directly under Spain.
