Following the most open, competitive and inclusive executive director search in the history of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Chairwoman Cheri Bustos named veteran political strategist Lucinda Guinn as its next Executive Director.
Guinn worked at the DCCC in the 2008 and 2012 cycles and most recently served as Vice President of Campaigns at EMILY’s List, where she oversaw the group’s efforts to elect pro-choice Democratic women to local, state and federal office. She also served as a senior advisor to Bold PAC, which is dedicated to increasing diversity of House and Senate leadership.
In 2018, Guinn was integral in helping elect an historic number of diverse women candidates who were central to Democratic successes in securing the House Majority.
Guinn has worked on campaigns up and down the ballot, including managing large Red-to-Blue races and serving as Political Director at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. The native New Mexican grew up in El Paso and is the daughter of two public school educators. She is the first Latina to serve as the Executive Director of the DCCC.
“Lucinda is a respected leader, manager and strategist with the right experience to help lead our efforts to expand our majority and push even further into Republican territory,” Chairwoman Bustos said. “Lucinda demonstrated throughout this highly competitive, open and inclusive process that she was ready to step in on day one. I look forward to working closely with her as we continue to build a DCCC that reflects the values of the most diverse House Caucus in history.”
“The DCCC couldn’t have made a better pick than Lucinda Guinn. She’s a strategic, passionate leader who has devoted her career to electing Democrats–and she’s proven quite good at it. And as a Latina from El Paso, I know she is just the person to protect the majority and grow it within the new battleground state of Texas,” said Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List.
“I am excited to join Chairwoman Bustos and the talented team she has assembled at the DCCC,” Guinn said. “I have spent my entire career helping elect Democrats across the country, and I look forward to working closely with Chairwoman Bustos to protect and expand our House Majority.”
To identify and select the next DCCC executive director, Chairwoman Bustos implemented a first-of-its-kind search that was the most competitive, open and inclusive process in the committee’s history. A majority of the 13 candidates invited to interview were people of color and more than half were women. The search process included the perspectives of a diverse group of members inside of the Democratic Caucus as well as a team of political professionals who conducted multiple rounds of interviews with the candidates.
“I am so appreciative of the 12-member advisory council and the diverse team of outside political professionals who worked closely with me to ensure this process reflects the values of the most diverse caucus in history,” Chairwoman Bustos said. “I hope this process will serve as a model for the DCCC and the other political committees moving forward as the party works to identify and hire the best and most diverse talent to serve in key positions heading into 2020 and beyond.”
The advisory council consisted of the following members of Congress: Charlie Crist, Regional Vice Chair; Madeleine Dean, Regional Vice Chair; Suzan DelBene, DCCC Frontline Co-Chair; Val Demings, Recruitment Co-Chair; Robin Kelly, DCCC WomenLEAD Co-Chair; Gwen Moore, Regional Vice Chair; Scott Peters, Regional Vice Chair; Raul Ruiz, DCCC TEAM Co-Chair; Linda Sanchez, DCCC Labor Council Co-Chair; Brad Schneider, DCCC Frontline Co-Chair; Mark Takano, DCCC LGBT Council Co-Chair and Veteran/Service Council Co-Chair; and Marc Veasey, Regional Vice Chair.
The team of political professionals consisted of Raghu Devaguptapu, Former DCCC Independent Expenditure Media Consultant; Jacqui Newman, Interim DCCC Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer; Dan Sena, Former DCCC Executive Director; Doug Thornell, Former DCCC National Press Secretary; and Kelly Ward, Former DCCC Executive Director.
What Others Are Saying:
“It’s a historic moment for the DCCC. Chairwoman Bustos ran an open and inclusive search process that resulted in the first Latina to permanently run the DCCC. Lucinda has been an asset to BOLD PAC and as a Latina and a Texan, she’s in a great position to expand the map in a critical state. I look forward to working with Lucinda and the Chairwoman to protect and build on our Democratic majority,” said Rep. Tony Cárdenas, Chair of Bold PAC.
“I am excited to hear that Lucinda Guinn will serve as Executive Director of the DCCC, and I commend Chairwoman Bustos on implementing an open and inclusive search process. Lucinda played a leading role in electing an historic number of diverse women to Congress at EMILY’s List in 2018. Being a DCCC veteran, she knows exactly what it takes to protect our incumbents and flip Republican seats. I look forward with working with Chairwoman Bustos and Lucinda as we continue to put Republicans on the defense and recruit top-tier challengers in districts across the country,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
“Lucinda is a strong, battle-tested strategist with the right experience to help lead our efforts to defend and expand our majority in 2020. I commend Chairwoman Bustos for running a search process that included perspectives of a diverse group of members inside of the Democratic Caucus, as well as outside political professionals. I look forward to working with both Chairwoman Bustos and Lucinda to defend our Frontline members,” said Rep. Brad Schneider, DCCC Frontline Co-Chair.
“Lucinda is a top-notch political strategist who knows what it takes to win. She is a tireless advocate for LGBT rights and played a big role in helping Democrats retake the House in 2018. She is exactly the right person to lead our efforts to expand our majority in 2020. I applaud Chairwoman Bustos for a search process that was so thorough and inclusive. I look forward to working alongside Lucinda as we prepare to protect and expand our majority in 2020,” said Rep. Mark Takano, DCCC LGBT Council Co-Chair and Veteran/Service Council Co-Chair.
“As a fellow Texan, I am excited Lucinda Guinn will serve as the next Executive Director of the DCCC. I can think of no one better to help us pick up GOP seats as a result of the Republican “Texodus,” than Lucinda. As a member of the search council, I commend Chairwoman Bustos for running such an open and inclusive process. Lucinda proved at every turn she was the right person to lead our efforts to protect and expand the most diverse House majority in history,” said Rep. Marc Veasey, DCCC Regional Vice Chair.
“I’m happy to see that Chairwoman Bustos and the search committee selected Lucinda to serve as the first Latina Executive Director of the DCCC. She is a skilled strategist who has what it takes to protect the majority and expand our battlefield. I’ve seen her expertise and tenacity first-hand and I look forward to working with her,” said Rep. Raul Ruiz, DCCC TEAM Co-Chair.
About Lucinda Guinn:
Lucinda Guinn most recently served as the Vice President of Campaigns at EMILY’s List, where she oversaw the group’s efforts to elect pro-choice Democratic women to local, state and federal office. They were key to Democratic successes in securing the House Majority in 2018. Previously, Lucinda served as the Vice President of Independent Expenditures where she ran WOMEN VOTE!, WOMEN VOTE! and was crucial in electing a diverse group of women to the House of Representatives. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Lucinda worked on campaigns up and down the ballot including managing large Red-to-Blue races. Lucinda has served as Political Director at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and as the Western Political Director at the DCCC, where she helped elect 11 new members of Congress while retaining the seat of every incumbent in the region. Lucinda, a New Mexico native and proud BBQ-eating Texan, has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism and now lives in Washington, D.C.