Springfield, IL — On May 13th, the Democratic Party of Illinois held an election of Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) members for membership to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for the 2024-2028 term. Membership had long been decided behind closed doors, but today’s election marks the first open contest for deciding Illinois’ membership to the DNC. Chair Lisa Hernandez, who spearheaded this new structure to promote decision-making power within the DSCC and encourage committee members to run for spots on the DNC for the next term, released the following statement:

“On May 13th, we achieved exactly what we had envisioned–a fair and open process to ensure Illinois is represented well on the Democratic National Committee for the next four years. Not only did we accomplish this and empower our Democratic State Central Committee, we set a precedent for transparency in our Party,” said Chair Hernandez.

During this evening’s meeting, the DSCC appointed Speaker of the House Emmanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon as base members of the Democratic National Committee for the 2024-2028 term, as well as selected the following five base members to represent Illinois on the Democratic National Committee for the 2024-2028 term:

1. Committeewoman Robin Kelly
2. Committeewoman Delia Ramirez
3. Committeeman John Cullerton
4. Committeewoman Kristina Zahorik
5. Committeeman Dan Hynes

DPI was deliberate in ensuring newly-selected DNC members also represented gender diversity. After Speaker Welch and Senate President Harmon were selected, the two women with the highest number of votes were selected. The remaining three seats were filled by the two men and one woman who received the highest number of votes, underscoring our commitment to gender parity and inclusivity.