Palm Beach County Democrats elect Howard Richman as Chair, Elisa Sumner as Vice Chair

Images via Palm Beach Democratic Party.

The Palm Beach Democratic Party has two new leaders guiding its operations.

Members of the party’s Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) this month elected part-time finance and tax consultant Howard Richman as Chair and retired business systems analyst Elisa Sumner as Vice Chair.

Both boast ample political experience.

Richman won in a second round of voting, outpacing former DEC Secretary Marvelous Washington and Brandon Williams to take the party’s highest-ranking seat.

As Chair, he intends to oversee productive, inclusive meetings that foster unity and equality.

Richman told Florida Politics that although Donald Trump came within 1 percentage point of winning the county last month, Palm Beach Democrats remain strongly positioned heading into 2025.

He noted that the party regained majority control of the Palm Beach Commission and, through the victory of first-time candidate Debra Tendrich, kept control of House District 89 despite big spending by the local GOP.

“Those are two big success stories,” he said. “The county turned from red in 2022 back to blue in 2024. That means the Palm Beach County Democratic Party did its job. Having said that, there’s a lot more work to do.”

A lifelong Democrat, Richman worked for 30-plus years in Connecticut Democratic politics and on numerous political campaigns, including eight of his own. He served as the Town of Greenwich’s elected Tax Collector from 2018-2019, two stints as an elected Greenwich Town Representative and in many capacities for the Democratic Party, including Treasurer for the Democratic Club of Boca Raton & Delray Beach and the Palm Beach County Democratic Party Jewish Caucus, according to his bio on the DEC webpage.

He relocated permanently to Palm Beach County about two years ago after decades of visiting and owning property in Florida.

The party’s top objectives heading into the New Year, he said, are strengthening voter registration and get-out-the-vote operations.

He’ll have help from Sumner, who also serves as President of the Lake Worth Democratic Club.

Sumner defeated David “Dee” Rae in the first round of voting Dec. 5 to win the Vice Chair post. She succeeds Sean Rourke.

Before moving to Palm Beach, Sumner was politically active for some 15 years in New York, where she served as Chair of the Dover Town Committee and a New York State Committeewoman, among other roles.

Sumner said recruitment and unity should be priorities for the party and advocated for a “bottom-up approach” to committee decision-making.

“We cannot move forward if there is infighting, divisiveness and polarization,” she said in a statement. “I believe we must treat each other at all times with respect, build consensus through discussion, compromise and a healthy dose of pragmatism, and work together for the greater good of defeating Republicans!”

The DEC also re-elected CPA Joel Schleifer as Treasurer, choosing him over challenger Thomas Conboy.

Former DEC Secretary and Treasurer Sophia Nelson ran unopposed for Secretary and won, but resigned the following day for “personal reasons.”

“My commitment to supporting and electing strong Democratic candidates in Palm Beach County and across the state remains unwavering. I believe that focusing on this work outside of the board will allow me to make an even greater impact in the areas that matter most to me and our community,” she told Florida Politics by text.

“I am confident the current DEC board will continue to do incredible work, and I look forward to supporting their efforts as we all strive to advance Democratic values and create positive change.”

The party will hold an election in January to fill the vacancy.