Jason Rae (born November 25, 1986) is an American activist and Democratic National Committee (DNC) member from Wisconsin. He is the youngest person ever elected to the DNC.[1] On February 5, 2017, he was elected to serve as secretary of the DNC.[2]
Rae was the chair of the Marquette University chapter of College Democrats and was elected Chair of the College Democrats of Wisconsin in 2008.[citation needed] Within Marquette University Student Government (MUSG), he was Legislative Vice President, in which he formed of the Ad Hoc Committee on Funding of Student Activities.[5][6] He previously served in the MUSG Senate as Senator, student representative to the Faculty Academic Senate, College of Arts & Sciences Committee chair, and Parliamentarian.[7][8] Rae was the author of a bill passed by the Marquette University Student Government to provide domestic partner benefits to faculty.[9]
Rae is on the Board of Directors for the Rice Lake Boys Club.[10]
Political involvement
In 2004, Rae was vice chair of the Barron County Democratic Party and was appointed to Senator Russ Feingold's re-election steering committee.[11]
Rae was elected to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in June 2004. At the time of his election to his leadership role within the party, he was 17, making him the youngest person ever elected to the DNC.[12] Rae defeated a state legislator and the president of the state's firefighters' union were among the losing candidates for the position.[13][better source needed]
During summer 2006, Rae interned at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.[14] He came out as gay to members of the DNC in February 2007.[14] In spring 2007, Governor Jim Doyle (D-WI) appointed Rae as the youth representative to the Governor's Commission on the United Nations.[15]