Sally Boynton Brown (née Sally Ann Wilson) is an American political strategist who served as the executive director of the

Idaho Democratic Party The Idaho Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Idaho. While the party has been in the minority for most of the state's history, it has produced several notable public figures, including former U.S. sena ...

from 2012 to 2017. She was also a candidate for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship election in 2017.

Early life and education

Brown was born into a working-class family and grew up in Idaho. She attended

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...

and received her B.A. in Communications in 2005.

Idaho Democratic Party

Brown first started working for the Idaho Democratic Party in early 2011 as a field director, and went on to become communications director in November 2011. She assumed the executive director position in March 2012. Brown worked on Idaho Representative Sue Chew’s legislative campaign in 2006, and as campaign manager for Representative

Phylis King Phylis K. King (born May 8, 1946, in Ogden, Utah) is a Democratic Idaho State Representative since 2006 representing District 18 Seat B. Education King graduated from Grand Junction High School and earned her bachelor's degree in microbiology ...

’s re-election campaign in 2008. She went on to work for Keith G. Allred's gubernatorial campaign as Director of Operations in 2010. In 2013, Brown expanded her work nationwide by starting the Lead discussion group, with the goal of increasing participation of women leaders within the Democratic Party. Brown oversaw the largest Democratic caucus in the nation in Ada County, Idaho in 2016. Brown was the president of the Association of State Democratic Party Executive Directors. Brown announced on April 21, 2017 that she would be stepping down from being the

. She was replaced by the party's communications director, Dean Ferguson, pending a search for a full-time replacement.

Candidacy for Chair of the Democratic National Committee

She announced her candidacy for the chair of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

on December 16, 2016. Her candidacy was considered a long shot inasmuch as Rep. Keith Ellison, South Bend Mayor

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...

, and former Labor Secretary

Tom Perez Thomas Edward Perez (born October 7, 1961) is an American politician and attorney who served as the Chair of the Democratic National Committee from February 2017 until January 2021. Perez was previously Assistant Attorney General for Civil Right ...

each had some degree of national recognition; ultimately she achieved third place (after Buttigieg's resignation) before dropping out, having won twelve votes in the first round.

Controversy

On January 23, 2017, Brown became the subject of controversy when during the Democratic National Committee Chair Candidates Forum in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

she said in regard to the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

movement that Democrats need to offer "training" that teaches white people "how to be sensitive and how to shut their mouths if they are

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

." Brown went on to say that "It makes me sad that we're even having that conversation and that tells me that white leaders in our party have failed," she said. "I'm a white woman, I don't get it... My job is to listen and be a voice and shut other white people down when they want to interrupt." "This is life and death" she continued. "I am a human being trying to do good work and I can't do it without y'all. So please, please, please, get ahold of me... I need schooling so I can go school the other white people."

Florida Democratic Party

It was announced on April 26, 2017 that the Florida Democratic Party had hired Brown as its President (Executive Director). She succeeded Scott Arceneaux, the top party administrator for the last seven years. She resigned in November after she was accused of enabling sexual harassment from former Chair Stephen Bittel.

References

External links

Campaign website(Archived version)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Sally Boynton 1970s births 21st-century American women Boise State University alumni Florida Democrats Idaho Democrats Living people People from Boise, Idaho People from Middleton, Idaho Women in Florida politics Women in Idaho politics