In 2014, we sponsored & funded voter registration drives in Ford County, Kansas. I want to bring that same outreach to the rest of the state.

For more than a decade, I’ve written about progressive action on Daily Kos. I have encouraged readers to participate in the key goal of the site: more and better democrats serving at all levels. Over the last few months, Bernie Sanders has energized young and new voters with a simple message: our party and country need a revolution of ideas and leaders.

In order for those things to be true, we need to do more than just talk about it, we have to actually be the kind of change that is needed. That is why today, here and shortly in mailboxes throughout the state, I’m declaring my intentions to serve as the Democratic National Committee Person for the State of Kansas.

The role of Democratic National Committee man/woman is an often misunderstood one outside of party insiders. Because of that lack of familiarity with the role, I feel it’s important to start out with what your Democratic National Committee person does – or can do – for you.

The chairperson of the DNC (currently U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida) is elected by vote of members of the Democratic National Committee. The DNC is composed of the chairs and vice-chairs of each state Democratic Party Committee, two hundred members apportioned among the states based on population and generally elected either on the ballot by primary voters or by the State Democratic Party Committee, a number of elected officials serving in an ex-officio capacity, and a variety of representatives of major Democratic Party constituencies.

For many, the role of Democratic Committee person is honorary; a position not used to advance policy changes, but to ratify what Washington D.C. wants to do. We cannot afford to continue with that model. I intend, if elected, to use the position to work for bold changes in our state and national party.