Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman Welcomes Young Democrats of America (YDA) to Orlando

Congresswoman Karen Thurman, Chair of the Florida Democratic Party, welcomes the Young Democrats of America to Orlando for their annual fall conference. The YDA fall conference, hosted by the Florida Young Democrats (FYD), will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, located at 5780 Major Blvd, November 20 - 22.

"The Florida Democratic Party is excited YDA has chosen Orlando for their conference," Thurman said. "It is a great opportunity for the next generation of Democratic leaders to prepare for the 2010 elections, as we work to bring change to Florida and as Young Democrats fight to elect strong Democratic leaders across the nation."

Alexander Lewy, Florida Young Democrats President, remarked "The Young Democrats who helped elect President Obama and so many young leaders across Florida can't wait to bring home another victory in 2010."

The conference will gather the organization's leadership, which represents 2,400 chapters and over 300,000 members nationwide. During the 3-day conference, members will attend planning sessions for the upcoming 2010 election cycle, training workshops focused on producing results, and various caucuses representing the diverse interest of the group; such as Women, Rural, Minority, GLBT, Veteran, Labor and Disability issues caucuses.

The conference will be the first meeting officiated by YDAs recently elected president, Crystal Strait. President Strait, from California, is the organization's first Asian American president. Strait was elected at the biennial national convention in Chicago this past August.

"The Young Democrats of America are positioned to engage thousands of young people to vote in upcoming elections. Young workers and young families, along with college and high school students, will be the margin of victory in ensuring Congress passes the incredibly important legislation facing them today, as well as turning red America blue in 2010", Strait added.

Speakers and events will be announced soon. For more information about YDA or the fall conference, please visit www.yda.org.

About the Young Democrats of America (YDA)

The Young Democrats of America is the largest youth-led partisan political organization in the country and represents Democratic youth under the age of 36. With 300,000+ members - including middle school, high school and college students as well as young workers, young professionals and young families - YDA reflects the broad diversity of our nation and the Democratic Party. The Young Democrats of America has been the official youth arm of the Democratic Party since 1932. For more information, please visit www.yda.org.