The Credentials Committee of the Democratic National Committee today voted to recommend invalidating the credentials of Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley and Vice Chair Randy Kelley.

At a meeting in San Francisco today, the committee determined that the state party had not followed a mandate issued in February to adopt new bylaws and hold a new election for party leadership.

The Credentials Committee recommendation goes to the full DNC. Worley said tonight she expects the DNC to approve the recommendation on Saturday.

Worley said she and Kelley would retain their positions as chair and vice chair but would not be credentialed for the DNC.

Today’s decision was the latest turn in a controversy that has gone on since August 2018, when the State Democratic Executive Committee reelected Worley as party chair.

The DNC investigated complaints about how that election was conducted and found irregularities.

In February, the DNC gave Worley and Kelley temporary credentials and ordered the state party to adopt new bylaws, followed by new elections for chair and vice chair, within 90 days.

That deadline was missed, as was an extended deadline of Aug. 17. That came after the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee rejected proposed new bylaws submitted by the state party. New bylaws had to be in place before a new election.

Worley and attorney Benjamin Maxymuk appeared before the Credentials Committee today. Worley argued, in part, that the election last year was challenged only because she won. She characterized the DNC’s demands on the state party to change its bylaws as an effort to take from black party members the ability to elect blacks to the State Democratic Executive Committee.

“So just get your boots on because you’re going to need a whole lot of water sprayed on you,” Worley said. “Not from those water hoses that we saw in Alabama back in the 60s. But it’s because you’re going to be burning in hell for taking away people’s voting rights.”

Members of the committee strongly disputed the assertion that any of their actions infringed on voting rights.

One issue in dispute is an Alabama bylaw that the party’s black caucus picks at-large members to the State Democratic Executive Committee. The national party maintains that the black caucus can nominate at-large members but that the full executive committee should elect them.

Maxymuk told the Credentials Committee today that the state party leadership disagreed with the DNC’s position that the state party’s bylaws are in conflict with DNC bylaws.

In a phone interview tonight, Worley said she intended to remain chair and would run for the position when a new election is held.

Two people who were Democratic nominees in last year’s elections have said they will challenge Worley for the chair position. They are Tabitha Isner, who ran for Congress in the 2nd District, and Will Boyd, who ran for lieutenant governor.

As for the issue of the need to approve bylaws that will pass muster with the national party, Worley said she plans to meet with other leaders of the party and decide what to do next.

“We’ll look at what the options are and decide which way we want to go,” Worley said.

Edited at 5:14 p.m. to say that Credentials Committee’s vote was a recommendation subject to approval by the DNC. Updated at 5:52 p.m. to add quote from Nancy Worley from meeting. Updated at 9:50 p.m. to add more comments from Worley.