OLYMPIA (AP) — Tina Podlodowski has been elected the next chair of Washington's Democratic Party, ousting an incumbent who had been criticized by some in the party for what was seen as lackluster results last November.

The Seattle Times reports members of the state Democratic Central Committee voted in Podlodowski, a former Seattle City Council member and unsuccessful candidate last year for secretary of state.

Podlodowski beat former chair Jaxon Ravens. Ravens had been the chair since 2014, and the party's executive director before that.

Podlodowski racked up nearly 70 percent of the vote. She spoke of Democrats' losses in recent years of city, county and state legislative seats. And Podlodowski said that even when the party's numbers were previously stronger in the state Legislature, it didn't always equate to forward movement on Democratic priorities.

In November Democrats held on to the governor's mansion and a U.S. Senate seat, but failed to take control of the state Senate from Republicans.

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