Orange, Calif. — On the heels of a successful 2020 election cycle that saw 20 local seats flipped from red to blue, the Democratic Party of Orange County’s staff are taking on new, larger roles.
At its January 25, 2021 meeting, the Democratic Party of Orange County Central Committee ratified by acclamation new, more senior positions for two current staff. Political Director Ajay Mohan will now serve as Executive Director, and Regional Organizer Lyndsey Lefebvre will now serve as Organizing and Activism Director.
Of the staff’s expanded roles, Chairwoman Ada Briceño said, “Ajay and Lyndsey led outstanding work for local Democrats through the 2020 cycle. I look forward to continuing to work with this dynamic team. Democrats will be well-served as we continue our transformation.”
At age 23, Mohan is the youngest Executive Director to helm the Democratic Party of Orange County. Noting the advantages that his youthful perspective provides within the Democratic Party, Mohan said, “This will be reflected in our work and priorities; we will continue and expand the services we offer to involve young people.”
Democratic Party of Orange County Operations Team
Executive Director – Ajay Mohan
Ajay Mohan is an Orange County native with almost a decade of experience electing Democrats across California, where he has worked on successful campaigns for public office from water board to Congress. Ajay is a product of local public schools, and currently serves as a Commissioner for the City of Irvine.
Organizing and Activism Director – Lyndsey Lefebvre
Lyndsey Lefebvre has worked to represent marginalized faculty for the California Federation of Teachers and American Federation of Teachers. She served as Vice President of Adjunct Faculty for Cerritos College Faculty Federation, as well as on the Negotiating Team and as a full-time Organizer. She also works as a Contract Organizer for CIR-SEIU in Southern California, representing frontline doctors in the University of California system.
Communications Director – Rachel Potucek
Rachel Potucek is a former Congressional and municipal aide for southern California-area elected officials, and is the former Iowa Director of Communications for John Delaney for President. She has edited short story anthologies featuring works by residents of North Long Beach and New Orleans, and has produced numerous festivals, summits, and other special events.
Administrative Assistant – Denise Santamaria
Densie Santamaria brings more than fifteen years of office administration experience to the Democratic Party of Orange County. The daughter of a union organizer, she has worked on national, state and local labor campaigns since she was 13 years old. She is active in her daughter’s school as a fundraising organizer and coach for soccer and softball.
About the Democratic Party of Orange County
Orange County is a nationally-watched battleground for federal and state elections. Once famously known as “Reagan country,” after President Reagan called Orange County the place where “all good Republicans go to die,” Orange County is rapidly shifting from a Republican stronghold into a highly diverse Democratic metropolis.
Chair Ada Briceño, a longtime labor organizer, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11, and Democratic National Committee member, is the first immigrant and second Latina to lead the Democratic Party of Orange County. Orange County Democrats are experiencing dramatic growth at all levels of office. In 2018, they famously swept all seven Congressional seats in Orange County. In 2019, Democrats overtook countywide voter registration to become the region’s leading political party.
In 2020, Democrats flipped 20 local seats and two state senate seats from red to blue, including in deep-red areas of the county. Over the past four years, Democrats made a 5-point gain in voter registration, and now outpace the OC GOP by more than two points.
Orange County is the nation’s sixth largest county, with 3.2 million residents and more than 650,000 registered Democratic voters.
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