Dear DNC Member:

I wanted to write you about President-elect Obama's request that I serve as the next Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. That request was a surprise and an honor. Because we will be working together over the next few years to make our country and party stronger, you should know a few things about me.

I grew up in Kansas City working in my Dad’s ironworking shop. From my parents and teachers, I absorbed the basic lessons of hard work, faith and responsibility to others. And, from my earliest awareness of politics, I was drawn to the Democratic Party of John and Bobby Kennedy and “the man from Independence” Harry S. Truman.

I attended the University of Missouri and Harvard Law School. When I was at Harvard, I made one of the real momentous decisions of my life. I took a year off school to go work with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. My mentor there, Brother Jim O’Leary, taught me about “andando con la gente” – “walking with the people.” I came back with new lessons in humility and service and resolved to take my legal career and use it to help others.

I moved to Richmond because my wife Anne was a better negotiator than I was. She was a legal aid lawyer and ultimately became a juvenile court judge. I practiced civil rights law for 17 years, helping people turned away from housing because of their race or disability. We have three great teenagers.

I never thought I’d be in politics. Fighting for people’s civil rights in the courtroom was my passion and civic engagement in my church and a homeless services non-profit was more than enough to keep me busy. But, after I’d been in Richmond, I was struck by the gap between the political leadership in our white and black communities. People got along fine. But, in my City – a City with a history – I saw too much division at the leadership level. I thought I could help bring people together so I ran for City Council in 1994.

That was 6 elections ago and I have been in office ever since as a Councilman, Mayor, Lieutenant Governor and now Governor of Virginia. I’ve never been the favorite in any contested race, but I’ve never lost one. And, I’ve never forgotten my first office, where door-to-door campaigning and getting lobbied at the grocery store was just part of what you did to stay connected with people. I’m proud of my public service record.

I’m a Democrat for the basic reasons. I’ve never joined any Democratic think tank or policy organization, although I’ve benefited from ideas from many of them. I’m just a Democrat. I believe in the equality of all people, the power of education, the dignity of work and our responsibility for each other, especially the least of these. I want America to be strong internationally, but I believe that strength is not just a function of military and economic strength. We need strong diplomacy. Even more important, we have to set a strong moral example.

I have worked with many others to be part of an amazing renaissance of the Democratic Party in Virginia. When I was elected Governor just three years ago, here’s how things stood – we had two Republican Senators, a Congressional delegation with an 8-3 Republican majority, two state legislative houses that were 60% Republican and a 40 year dry spell since we last voted for a Democrat for President. Today, we have 2 Democratic Senators, a 6-5 Democratic House delegation, a Democratic State Senate and a State House where the Republican margin has fallen from 30 seats to 5 seats. Best of all, we produced a convincing win for my friend Barack Obama to be our nation’s next President.

I’ve learned some things about how to organize and how to win. The main thing I’ve learned in Virginia is that we don’t win races just because of the letter after our name. We win because we have made the Democratic Party stand for something in people’s minds. We’re the problem solvers, not the ideologues, obstructionists or gridlock masters. And, we’re the unifiers. We reject the politics of who we’re mad at and who we’re afraid of. We don’t’ rally the 52% by figuring out new ways to beat up the 48%. We have a positive vision for the country based in the core values of our party.

I think this is why our new President has asked me to take on this challenging task. It’s a tough time in our nation and we will have to be tough and compassionate to get through it. We need to stand proudly for our party and beliefs, while also extending a hand to others so that we can unify our country. I’m no expert in the procedural intricacies of the DNC and I don’t pretend to know the specific issues that face each state. But, I am strong for my team and I know how to communicate and organize for success.

It will be hard to match Howard Dean’s record as chair of this party. I got to know him when I was running a tough Governor’s race in 2005 and we worked together each year since winning races here. His 50 state strategy was simple and powerful. The results speak for themselves. The Obama campaign copied it in new ways. The basic point is that everybody matters. You don’t have to be a big donor for your donation to matter. You don’t have to be an expert for your idea to matter. You don’t have to be a full-time campaign worker for your effort to matter. I will be true to that strategy – every state, every community, every person matters. We’ll do some new things because we can never rest on what worked yesterday. But, we will never again write off states or regions or people.

I take on this responsibility with pride about what we’ve just done, but also with a deep sense of how much more needs to happen. So many Americans are hurting in this economy. Our world is wracked by one challenge after the next. But, November 4 produced a powerful optimism around this nation and around the world. I want to work with you to build on that for the good of a great party and a great country and I ask for your support as Chairman of the DNC.

Thanks very much,

Tim Kaine