Miami-Dade Democrats name Laura Kelly as its new party Chair

MIAMI - The Miami-Dade Democratic Party announced Monday that Laura Kelly will serve as its new party chairwoman for the next tw0 years.

“We need to get back to the basics of organizing at the precinct level, registering voters, and listening to what voters are telling us,” Kelly said. "We also need to be ready to fight the incompetence, cruelty, and corruption of another Donald Trump term in the White House.”

The announcement comes after the Miami-Dade Executive Committee, or DEC, elected Kelly over the weekend.

Kelly is an immigration attorney with over a decade of experience in Miami-Dade County. She also served as the Chair of the South Florida Chapter of the Immigration Lawyers Association 2023-2024 term.

In addition, Kelly ran for Florida House District 111, a GOP-leaning district, against Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, in the 2024 general election. Kelly ultimately lost to Borrero in HD 111 by 35 points.

Kelly graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Houston in 2003. She also earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of California College of Law in San Francisco and a Master of Laws at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain.

"My experience as a first-time candidate and as someone who has led a large organization gives me a fresh perspective on how to make structural and systemic change to rebuild and overhaul the Miami Dade DEC," Kelley said before being elected.

Other candidates for the position included Miami-Dade Community Council member Venusmia Fernandez Lovely, Acting DEC Chair Ricky Junquera, and DEC Secretary Marco Reyes. Kelly replaces Chairman Shevrin "Shev" Jones, who had to step down as Chair under state party rules.

According to the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, the Chair serves as the chief executive and presiding officer of the Miami-Dade Executive Committee, which includes overall decision-making on party matters.

Kelly's responsibilities as newly elected Chair include staff hiring, overseeing financial records, preparing a budget, and regulating expenditures. In addition, Kelly may appoint or remove the Parliamentarian, General Counsel, and committee members.

She also takes over as Chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party in search of a new identity after the county voted for President-elect Donald Trump. It was the first time Miami-Dade County went for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988.