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January 24, 2009--Progressive activist and former Pima Country Chair Paul Eckerstrom upset Arizona Democratic Party Chair Don Bivens in his bid for re-election as Arizona Democratic Party chair at Saturday's reorganization meeting of the ADP State Committee in Phoenix. The ballroom at the Wyndham Hotel virtually exploded with unexpected glee and shock as the vote count was announced. Eckerstrom beat the incumbent state chair by a comfortable 324-255, sending shock waves throughout the Democratic Party establishment and challenging the grassroots to step up and intensify their activity in the movement for change.

“This is nothing short of a revolution, the winds of change were heard in Washington, D.C., and across the country with Obama and now here in the Arizona Democratic Party” voiced one enthusiastic Arizona Democratic Progressive Caucus (AzDPC) member after the vote.

Eckerstrom, a Tucson public defender, didn't decide to run against Bivens until Saturday morning. He first announced his candidacy during a meeting of the Progressive Caucus.

“ I was driving up here and had no intention of running for state-party chair,” Eckerstrom told the Arizona Republic immediately after the vote. “I had no intention of running, I'm as surprised as everyone else.”

At the AzDPC meeting Eckerstrom voiced strong opposition to the party's leadership on a variety of issues but was particularly angered that the party was not taking a leading voice against widespread cuts in education being proposed by Republicans in the state legislature. Then he dropped the bomb--announcing his challenge to the leadership. The 80 delegates in the room cheered their approval, and Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) State Coordinator Dan O'Neal, who chaired the Progressive Caucus meeting, was reeling from the announcement when he said, “ Wow, that certainly adds a whole new agenda item to our meeting.” As the meeting continued many activists left the room to gather support and prepare for the upcoming floor fight.

With less then two hours to organize the opposition vote, Eckerstrom and progressive activists from all over the state hopped from caucus to caucus hitting the African American, Labor, Hispanic, LBGT and Election Integrity caucuses with the message for change.

Newly elected Arizona Corporation Commission member and former State Senator Sandra Kennedy and current Arizona of House Representative Phil Lopes put Eckerstrom's name into nomination from the floor. Kennedy is a member of both the African American and Progressive caucuses in the ADP. Lopes is the former minority leader of the Arizona House who has a single-payer Arizona Healthcare bill being blocked by the Republicans in the House.

Bivens, with the party establishment behind, him, gave a rather moderate campaign speech, pointing out the ADP's successes and downplaying the major problems. Eckerstrom in contrast launched into a rip-roaring, systemic, point by point, what is-the-problem-and-how-we-need-to-fix-it speech. His passionate oration was drowned out by the cheers and standing ovation of hundreds of state committee delegates, reminiscent of Dennis Kucinich's “Wake up America” speech at the Denver National Convention. In this case it was clearly “Wake Up Arizona Democratic Party”--it's time for a change.

The stunning upset was fueled by grassroots dissatisfaction over the ADP leadership policies in the last election cycle. The party leadership used a “targeted” Legislative District election strategy and conservative messaging approach that just didn't work. Also, a major point of contention with the grassroots was a Maricopa County-centric approach to organizing, leaving counties and Democrats outside the Phoenix area out of communication and out of the loop during the 2008 elections. Many Democratic candidates were completely ignored by the party, including two congressional candidates and all the down-ticket Democrats in red districts.

While the ADP under Bivens leadership out-raised the Republicans in fundraising in the last election, the party still lost seats in the State Legislature and faced major setbacks in the key Maricopa County races for County Attorney and Sheriff. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, now part of the Obama administration, Party Chair Bivens and most Arizona Democratic Party leaders would not endorse or campaign for Dan Saban, who ran a courageous campaign against the notorious right-wing racist Republican Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Eckerstrom, along with party activists from Tucson to Flagstaff, AzDPC, PDA, DFA, and other progressives, have been calling for a “30 LD-15 county strategy" and a more inclusive grassroots campaign in line with Howard Dean's “50 State Strategy.” On Saturday the frustration with the top-down politics boiled over and change at the top was the result.

“We definitely need a state chair who is responsive to all Democrats in Arizona--now it's time to unify and move forward,” said PDA State Co-Coordinator and Phoenix Chapter leader Virginia Hauflaire after the meeting. Speaking for Progressive Democrats of America in Arizona, she continued, “We in PDA pledge our support and will work hard along with our new Chair Paul Eckerstrom. We will continue to speak out about healthcare, education, energy policy, immigration reform and other issues that resonate with the people of Arizona. We are dedicated to helping organize the grassroots, build the ADP and mobilize the people of Arizona for the challenges ahead as we march to greater gains in 2010.“