Paul Berendt

Who is Paul Berendt?

Paul Berendt served as chairman of the Washington State Democratic Party from January 1995 to January 2006. He was the longest serving state Democratic Party chairman in the nation at the time he stepped down from his post.

Active in the Democratic National Committee, Berendt served as Vice Chair for the West of the Association of State Democratic Chairs and as a member of the DNC's Credentials Committee.

During Berendt's tenure as chairman, Democrat Christine Gregoire became governor after a heavily fought election. She won the election by 129 votes after three counts and multiple lawsuits.

Additionally, the state Democratic Party, along with the Republicans and Libertarians, sued and successfully overturned the state's former blanket primary election system after the United States Supreme Court found California's similar system unconstitutional in California Democratic Party v. Jones. They also successfully fought the implementation of a Louisiana-style "top two" primary, in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, would advance to the general election.