The Takeover of the West Virginia Young Democrats

The verdict was prewritten and in hand when Delegate Mike Pushkin, Chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party (WVDP), called the February 22, 2024, meeting to order.

The Board of Appeals, whose members are appointed by the chair, gathered on Zoom for the conclusion of a hearing against the president of the West Virginia Young Democrats (WVYD).

"Many of us have to get to work, I know I do," Pushkin said. "So, let's ask all the questions that we need to ask, but be as brief as possible."

With the accused absent, they moved through testimony from two invited witnesses in under 20 minutes.

"We have a draft report based on facts of the case and related party rules and the likely findings of the board," Pushkin said. "You all have a draft of the report."

The board voted unanimously.

The Young Democrats' executive officers were ordered to "turn over all WVYD records and accounts of WVYD to include banking, social media, postal, etc."

The board ordered that "the cash balance of $4,293.60… shall be turned over to the [West Virginia State Democratic Executive Committee] WVSDEC … within 7 calendar days."

The board also threatened legal action twice, including a warning that "the Chair of the WVSDEC is directed to initiate legal proceedings to obtain control of the funds and bank records."

The youth volunteers complied.

On January 23, 2025, nearly eleven months later, Pushkin filed an amended form F-4 Statement of Organization for the WVYD with the Secretary of State, naming himself chairperson and a state party staff member as treasurer. The updated mailing address and contact email belonged to the state party.

An F-4 Statement of Organization declares who legally controls a political organization.

Prior to the takeover, the WVYD was an independently registered entity with the Secretary of State. It had its own bank accounts, contribution limits, and legal fiduciaries.

The governing document of the WVYD, its constitution, states that, "The [WVYD] Executive Committee will serve as the administrative unit and governing body of WVYD and will conduct the affairs of the organization."

In other words, only its constitution and its leaders may decide internal governance issues.

Burger King cannot fire Colonel Sanders. They are separate entities.

The West Virginia Democratic Party claiming authority over an independently registered organization is, legally speaking, no different.

While the board cited the WVYD's lapsed national charter as grounds for its decision, documents published by the party reveal that officials knew about the lapse for months and withheld the information from the youth group's president.

Officials received an email from the president of the Young Democrats of America, Quentin Wathum-Ocama, on Sept 29, 2023, confirming, "West Virginia is not currently chartered with YDA."

At the WV State Democratic Executive Committee meeting the following day, Chair Pushkin seated the acting president of the WVYD, Jacob Hively, as the representative of the WVYD.

At that meeting, Pushkin said, "Congratulations, Jacob. I'm sure you will remain an active member of this committee as president [of the WV Young Dems]."

On November 7, 2023, WVDP Executive Director Ryan Frankenberry sent an email to Hively requesting the group's "Current WVYD Charter," minutes and public notice of the convention at which he was elected, any correspondence with YDA regarding officer updates, and a list of current WVYD officers.

Party officials did not disclose the lapsed charter or their communications with the YDA to Hively.

On Nov 21, 2023, Frankenberry emailed Hively stating, "Chair Pushkin is requesting a meeting on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM at WVDP HQ. WVDP Legal Counsel Marc Williams will be present to advise WVDP regarding concerns that could involve legal issues. You may want to have counsel present as well."

Hively declined, and the party did not take further direct action.

45 days later, on January 5, 2024, former WVSDEC member Jarryd Powell sent an email to Pushkin and Frankenberry inquiring about the status of the WVYD.

Powell asked, "Is the WVYD chartered with the YDA? ... Who are the most recent and allegedly current officers of the WVYD? ... Do you have any minutes or records of the WVYD for the past 2 years?"

Frankenberry responded on January 6, 2024, with detailed answers and a link to a Google Drive folder containing 13 files, including the Sept 29 email from Wathum-Ocama and 9 other unredacted emails between the party and Hively.

**Author's note:** While the WVDP has made these and other unredacted files publicly accessible, this report omits direct links to any source for that information to protect the personal data revealed within them.

Google Drive history shows that Selina Vickers, a member of the WVSDEC and the DNC Standing Credentials Committee, highlighted passages in Powell's evidence files the evening of Sunday, January 7, 2024.

Beyond her party roles, Vickers founded and operates A New Day PAC. In June 2022, her PAC reported spending $5,399.20 on lodging and hospitality for WVSDEC members during the same weekend the committee elected Pushkin as state chair.

On Monday, January 8, 2024, using the party's files as evidence, Powell filed a 19-page grievance against the WVYD president.

Nearly six months later, on June 15, 2024, Powell was elected as an Associate Chair of the WVDP.

Powell did not respond to requests for comment.

Digital metadata from the evidence files reveals that Selina Vickers, a member of the WVSDEC and the DNC Standing Credentials Committee, highlighted the documents on January 7, 2024. On Monday, Powell filed the grievance.

The takeover comes at the end of a decade-long near-total collapse of the Democratic Party in West Virginia.

Today, the party holds only 9 House of Delegates seats and 2 State Senate seats. All federal offices and state constitutional offices have been lost. West Virginia now has the lowest Democratic representation nationwide.

Democratic voter registration fell from 577,977 in 2016 to 334,253 by August 2025, a loss of 243,000 over nine years. That is more than the populations of Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, and Wheeling combined.

Meanwhile, Republican registrations have surpassed 500,000 for the first time.

"Unfortunately, when the state's governed by a super majority and you have one party in power, a lot of decisions are made behind closed doors at their party caucus meetings," Pushkin told WOWK-TV in November 2023. "And it doesn't make for good democracy."

He added, "Young people are leaving this state in droves."

Pushkin did not respond to requests for comment.

On November 9, 2025, young Democrats gathered at Camp Pioneer, a 4-H camp in the mountains of Randolph County, to formally recharter with the Young Democrats of America.

Jarryd Powell, who filed the grievance that triggered the seizure, was elected vice president. Pushkin addressed the room.

In public-facing statements, the newly rechartered organization provided a Gmail address as its main contact information. However, when new officers filed an amended F-4 Statement of Organization with the WVSOS on January 21, 2026, they listed the party's email, P.O. Box, and phone number.

The new officers filed an amended F-4 Statement of Organization with the WVSOS on January 21, 2026. The new filing still lists the party's P.O. Box, phone number and an email hosted by the party.

The night before the convention where she would be elected WVYD president, Olivia Dowler spoke at the Marion County Democracy Dinner.

"I don't believe we're the leaders of the future," she said. "I believe we're the leaders of right now. Even if that means we have to get up and fight against people like the establishment."