AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party is looking for a new executive director weeks after its candidates were routed by Republicans up and down the ballot.

Will Hailer, who has held the position for 20 months, is stepping down Dec. 31 to take a consulting job outside Washington, D.C., the party announced Friday morning. It said Hailer will help with a “nationwide search” for his replacement.

In a statement, party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa called Hailer’s departure “bittersweet,” crediting him with helping field a Democrat this year in every Texas county and overseeing 300 staffers across the state on Election Day. Those accomplishments, Hinojosa added, “would not have been possible without Will Hailer’s direction, passion, and dedication.”

Under Hailer’s leadership, Texas Democrats set their sights on ending their 20-year losing streak in statewide races. They got help from groups like Battleground Texas, which came to the state to much fanfare a few months before Hailer. Their efforts were dealt a major blow on Election Day when Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis lost to Republican opponent Greg Abbott by a wider-than-expected margin.

Still, Hailer said in a statement that the party “accomplished more than anyone thought was possible.”

Hailer came to the party in May 2013 from Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison’s office. The party said he will head next year to Arlington, Va., to join BerlinRosen Public Affairs as a vice president in the Campaign and Creative Services Division.

See the counties where Texas Democrats actually took a step backwards in the 2014 midterm elections.

