The chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party announced her resignation in an angry rant about the “MAGA” tactics she said are being used to attack her.
Mindy Koch, 70, wrote in her resignation letter: “My hope is that in doing so I can expose this subversive, cancerous element… as I try so hard to destroy the party from within.”
The surprise announcement came just six weeks after Koch survived efforts by Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried to oust her for allegedly not adhering to party bylaws on contracts.
Koch had a tumultuous seventeen-month term in office after winning the December 2022 election by one vote (160 to 159) to lead the local party in Palm Beach, as reported by the Sun Sentinel.
In her resignation letter, she said personal attacks and intimidation from within the party left her “no choice but to resign,” adding that the decision took effect immediately.
Mindy Koch, 70, chair of the Democratic Party of Palm Beach County, announced her resignation in an angry tirade about the “MAGA” tactics she says are being used to attack her. Pictured: Koch and President Joe Biden in a 2020 photo
Koch had a tumultuous 17-month term after winning the December 2022 election by one vote (160 to 159) to lead the local party in Palm Beach, as reported by Sun Sentinel
“The MAGA tactic of refusing to recognize my legitimate election as chairman has spawned a brutal campaign that attacked me and others. It has made it impossible to fulfill our mission to elect Democrats,” Koch wrote. Pictured: President Trump’s supporters wear faith in God and Trump shirts at a rally
The 70-year-old wrote in the letter: “The continued vicious personal attacks and intimidation against me and my leadership team by a small minority of Palm Beach County (Democratic Executive Committee) members are destructive and unprecedented.”
“The MAGA tactic of refusing to recognize my legitimate election as chairman has spawned a brutal campaign that has attacked me and others. It has made it impossible to fulfill our mission to elect Democrats,” she added.
But the resignation does not in any way indicate that she is leaving local politics, she told the local publication in a telephone interview.
‘I agree with the decision. I’ve never given up anything in my life. So this is a first for me,” she said.
‘My team was fantastic and very supportive. And I’ve met some great people and learned some interesting things – and don’t think I’ll be up at 4:30 tomorrow morning.”
Almost immediately, she sent the resignation letter, drove to the Supervisor of Elections Office headquarters and turned in the paperwork as a candidate for the Palm Beach County School Board.
Koch said she is running for the school board District 5 seat with the support of state Sens. Tina Polsky and Lori Berman and state Reps. Kelly Skidmore and Katherine Waldron.
Palm Beach County Democratic state committeewoman Maria Cole refuted Koch’s claims, saying there is no corrosive element within the party.
“There is no nefarious group of people out to destroy her. There is no Trumpian mentality among the people. This isn’t about personality. This is not a personal attack,” she said.
The surprise announcement came just six weeks after Koch (right) survived efforts by Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried (left) to oust her for allegedly not adhering to party bylaws on contracts.
Palm Beach is the state’s third largest county
The committee member stated that party members would like to see changes in the way the party is managed, with more resources allocated to voter outreach.
‘They don’t want the same things that retirees from 40 years ago want. They want to be heard,” Cole said.
“Young people are not going to go into a meeting and be told to shut up and be quiet and not exercise their rights. They’re just not going to do it.’
‘That’s not possible if we don’t work together. You can’t do that in a climate of bitterness. And you can’t do that in an environment of chaos,’
“It wasn’t about bitterness, it was just about transparency and accountability,” she said.
“I just think this is really a time to move forward. We’ve had just over a year of bitterness, and hopefully we can move past that and move on.
“This is an important election and there are important things to talk about, like abortion and public education,” Cole said.
Koch, a retired teacher and union leader, is now running for membership on the local school board, now chaired by Frank A. Barbieri
Almost immediately after sending the resignation letter, she drove to the Supervisor of Elections Office headquarters and turned in the paperwork as a candidate for the Palm Beach County School Board.
Koch, a retired teacher and union leader, is now running for membership on the local school board, now chaired by Frank A. Barbieri.
“Public education has made America the great nation that it is. And we have to make sure it stays that way,” Koch said.
‘I’ve always wanted to be on the school board. “I have all this experience in education and I want to share it,” she said.
Sean Rourk, vice-chairman of the provincial party, is now the organization’s acting leader.
A Democratic Party spokesperson said, “We look forward to working with the new chairman to get Palm Beach County back on track to reelect Democrats up and down and reelect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris back to the White House in November. .’