Busby Elected San Diego County Democratic Chair

Durfee Named ‘Chair Emeritus,’ Will Continue As Board Member and DNC Member

Francine Busby was elected Tuesday night to serve as Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, the organization representing California’s second-largest population of Democrats and a growing plurality of all voters countywide. She succeeds Jess Durfee, who led Democrats to become the dominant political party in San Diego during his unprecedented nine years as Chair.

A resident of Cardiff by the Sea, Busby has been a leader in the Democratic Party since her first campaign for Congress in the 50th District in 2004 – when she ran against Randy “Duke” Cunningham – and in subsequent high-profile campaigns against former Rep. Brian Bilbray.

Busby has served as the North County Vice Chair of the County Party and has represented the Party in other leadership roles ranging from fundraising and strategic planning to candidate training. She is also the Executive Director of Run Women Run, an organization that mentors, trains, and supports pro-choice women for elected office.

“I am honored to follow in Jess Durfee’s footsteps,” said Busby. “I hope to build on our success to bring positive and progressive change that will benefit all San Diegans.”

Durfee’s tenure culminated in the historic 2012 elections, in which 71% of the County Democratic Party’s endorsed candidates were victorious, including Bob Filner for Mayor of San Diego, Dave Roberts for County Supervisor, and Scott Peters for Congress. With a $2.5 million budget last year, the SDCDP delivered hundreds of thousands of voter contacts for its candidates through precinct walks, phone banks, direct mail, and other campaign programs.

“In the past decade, San Diego County has transformed from a Republican stronghold into a diverse and dynamic region that increasingly votes Democratic,” said Durfee. “I am proud of the work we’ve done and confident that Francine will lead our Party to achieve even more in the years ahead.”

The County Democratic Central Committee has voted to grant Durfee the title of Chair Emeritus. He will remain an active member of the SDCDP’s Executive Board and will continue as San Diego’s sole elected member of the Democratic National Committee.

For more information, please contact Francine Busby at (760) 807-0399 or chair@sddemocrats.org.