Lavora Barnes named Michigan Democratic Party chair

Lavora Barnes was chosen to lead the Michigan Democratic Party as chair Saturday, taking over for Brandon Dillon to lead party operations ahead of the 2020 election. Barnes, of Ann Arbor, was serving as the party’s chief operating officer and was previously Oakland County’s deputy Clerk. She also served as the state director for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Rep. Brenda Lawrence said in 2020, Democrats need more than a blue wave: “We need a tsunami,” she said. She said she believed it was possible, and said Michigan Democrats would lead the charge. “Just like they blamed us for Donald Trump, they’re going to celebrate us in 2020,” she said.