The Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County played a significant role in the March 5 election, boosting the campaign of Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann through an endorsement and funding.

They also made a difference with who they didn’t endorse: Democratic stalwart Das Williams, who did not get re-elected in the Santa Barbara County First District.

The organization, a club of the overall Santa Barbara County Democratic Central Committee, assumed a higher prominence in the election, and it is showing no signs of letting up on issues and candidates locally, and around the nation.

The organization has 19 board members and about 200 members. They hold events year-round.

“We really to try to understand and look at the political landscape and see where we can be impactful on issues, especially related to women and children,” said board president Suzanne Cohen.

Cohen spoke with journalist Josh Molina in the latest episode of the podcast Santa Barbara Talks. Cohen talks about the role of Democratic Women, the endorsement process, the group’s view on national issues, and responds to a recent podcast with Daraka Larimore-Hall, who criticized the group for not articulating policy specifics.

“The language was that we were not grown-up, that we were not serious,” Cohen said. “A lot of women reached out to me. What are you saying if we are not serious? What are you saying if we are not grown-up? You are saying we are childish, that we’re a joke.”

Cohen also explains why the organization did not endorse Williams in the First District Supervisor’s contest. Williams lost by fewer than 575 votes to challenger Roy Lee, a Carpinteria City Councilman who will take county office in January.

Cohen said cannabis sunk Williams, who led efforts to craft the county’s controversial ordinance at the same time he accepted more than $60,000 in campaign contributions.

“When you look at where the election was won and lost it was in Carpinteria,” Cohen said. “Carpinteria was really impacted by that issue. That was a risky move, and it hasn’t really paid off.”

Watch the full one-hour conversation by clicking on the YouTube link above.

Consider a donation to this podcast by clicking here. Subscribe to this podcast by clicking here. Josh Molina has been a journalist in Santa Barbara for 20 years. He also covered City Hall for the San Jose Mercury News. In addition to working as a reporter at Noozhawk, he teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College. Please subscribe to his You Tube channel for more content.