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Aaron Kruse |
Running for: 1. Chair 2. Vice-Chair 3. Communications Director |
Statement |
Candidate Statement: About 15 minutes after I was elected Chair of DA China, Ada Shen, the "founding mother" of our country committee, congratulated me and said: "So you're planning to go to the global meeting in Washington, DC in two weeks, right?" I hadn't been planning to attend, but I bought tickets that same day. And that's pretty much how my life has gone since then.
Over the past two years our leadership team has put in an incredible amount of work, and every single member deserves a huge commendation for their efforts in setting up a functioning country committee. As Chair, I've stayed focused on only one goal: Building up an organization that can help Americans living in China get involved so that more Democrats in the US are elected to office. If elected as Chair for a second term, I will build upon our progress by organizing chapters outside of Beijing and Shanghai and improving our GOTV efforts so that we are well-prepared for success in 2019 and 2020.
Endorsement: I would like to take the time here to nominate Aaron for another term on the leadership board, being Chair of a new country committee is not easy work, it took patience and determination and I know Aaron has and will continue to give DA China his all. - Samantha Wong
Endorsement: I am happy to nominate Aaron Kruse for re-election as Chair of Democrats Abroad China. - Faith Gary
Endorsement: Aaron has put a ton of effort into Democrats Abroad. His level of commitment and focus has really kept me motivated over the last two years. I have known Aaron since May 2017, when we were both elected to the leadership board of Democrats Abroad China. He has taken the role of Chair extremely seriously. He presents himself professionally and is not only an assertive leader, but also attentive to those around him. He is careful to consider the process as well as the final product in project management, which is helpful in delegating and prioritizing tasks. He really gets things done.
He is also a nice boy from Iowa, earnest and diligent. He is genuinely passionate about building the organization so that we can make a difference in the world. He is willing to put in the time to ensure an event or project is successful. In addition to leading our team in China, he has also volunteered for very time-consuming committees at the global level of DA. I have no idea how many hours he must have logged on conference calls with DA in the past 2 years.
I am very pleased to endorse Aaron Kruse for the leadership board. - Elizabeth Jenkins ***Endorsement: Aaron has been an energetic, clear-headed, and committed Chair of DA China. Our country committee is among the newest in the world, but that did not stop him from leading us to make waves with DA Global over the past two years, vaulting into the top-ten biggest country committees by membership almost instantly. Moreover, I had the pleasure of traveling with Aaron to the DA Annual Global Meeting in Tokyo last year, where I watched him effectively whip votes and secure passage for the important "One person one vote" measure (they even named the measure after him: the "Kruse Amendment"). He has also guided our monthly leadership board meetings with the ease and efficiency of a manager twice his age. Aaron's exceptional maturity and vision make him an ideal candidate to continue leading DA China, and I endorse him without reservation. - Chris Zombik ***Endorsement: The biggest lesson of the past two years is the importance of elections. They matter. A lot. Judges matter. Congress matters. Appointments matter. And while it's easy to voice support for what you care about, it takes talent, hard work, and a little luck to actually make a difference. For the last two years, Aaron has helped DA China make a difference. Since formation two years ago, Aaron has led the effort to expand DA China nationwide to span several cities across China and obtain not one, but three votes in the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA). The result? In 2018 alone, DA China helped over 1400 Americans participate in elections back home (9th highest DA voter turnout in the world, ahead of Canada, UK, and Australia). The work that we do here is important. Elections matter. But more importantly is Aaron's personal dedication to the cause. I've seen firsthand how willing Aaron is to help do the hard work to make GOTV a success, to get in the trenches and help personally register voters, print out ballots, etc. At every stage of the process, Aaron was there to contribute his time and energy. He's earned my trust, and I hope you'll give him a chance to earn yours as well. ***Endorsement: Aaron has been doing a great job as chair of DA China and puts in a lot of time. He is clearly devoted to the work that we are doing. - Justin Davis ***Endorsement: I writing to endorse Aaron Kruse for Chair, he is super passionate and has been a great leader for the past 2 years. I truly enjoy talking to and working with someone who is so passionate and driven for the democratic cause, and implementing systemic action. -Kim Wong ***Endorsement: As a former organizer for Democrats Abroad in China for many years, I could not be more proud of the work the first elected Executive Committee team has achieved. DACN is one of the most dynamic country committees in all of Democrats Abroad, and in many ways those in China have a unique opportunity — and face unique challenges — for meaningful engagement and growth of the Democratic voter base in China.
I hereby strongly endorse both Aaron Kruse and Elizabeth Jenkins for Leadership Board, as well as either National Chair or National Vice Chair ExCom Officer positions (as they may decide). They stepped up to the plate in a big way and took on a huge organizing task in the aftermath of 2016. The fight is far from over, nor is the work complete -- I feel that DA China will have the strongest and most meaningful opportunity to elect more and better Democrats under their continued executive leadership. - Ada Shen ***Endorsement: I met Aaron through the Tokyo Democrats Abroad meet up and was instantly impressed by both his incredible enthusiasm and his grasp of what truly matters. He held his own in debates against much older members, and often brought more salient points more clearly. Additionally, he has been crucial this year to how much Democrats Abroad China has grown and has been able to affect change. He is able to cut quickly to the issues at hand and structure alignment with the vision of Democrats Abroad. I trust him to continue his role as Chair. -Elaine Chow |
Email: aaronmkruse@gmail.com |
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