Former Iowa City mayor Ross Wilburn has made history, becoming the first Black Iowa Democratic Party Chair, the party announced Saturday.

"Today, during a virtual meeting, the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee (SCC) elected Rep. Ross Wilburn (HD-46) as the new IDP Chair by a majority vote," the group stated.

We're thrilled to announce that @Ross_Wilburn is the next Iowa Democratic Party Chair! pic.twitter.com/WUko9AgZvJ

— Iowa Democrats (@iowademocrats) January 23, 2021

According to KCRG, the former mayor serves in the Iowa House as a representative of the 46th District, which covers part of Ames and Story County. The trailblazer, who was elected as Iowa City’s first Black mayor in 2006, also served as a city councilman for 12 years.

The Davenport, Iowa native served in the Army National Guard while attending the University of Iowa, where he earned a degree in social work. He also joined Iowa State University in 2014 as a diversity officer and associate director for community economic development.

After losing his bid for governor in 2018, Wilburn was elected to the Iowa House a year later. He replaces outgoing party chair Mark Smith in his newest role.

“I’m excited to get to work and lead Iowa Democrats for the next two years," Wilburn said in a statement. "With President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris, and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison at the top, Democrats are going to work tirelessly to bring people together, speak the truth and build a more just society. We have aggressive plans to reinvigorate our party from the ground up and connect with more Iowans in communities small and large.”

Wilburn's new role is among many Democratic Party historic elections and nominations, including Biden's selection of newly-appointed DNC Chair, Jaime Harrison, who is only the third Black person to ever hold the position, as Blavity previously reported.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair

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