Jay Parmley, who was executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party for 2-1/2 years, has been rehired by South Carolina Democrats. Parmley left Alaska this summer, and at the time said he was moving to Florida with his husband and mother-in-law.
Parmley is from Oklahoma, but has worked in several states for the Democratic Party and its subunits.
In 2012, he resigned his North Carolina post after a former male staffer accused him of sexual harassment — showing him a photo of a penis — and unwanted physical advances. The employee later sued, saying he was fired because he blew the whistle on Parmley.
[Read: NC Democratic Party ex-staffer sues over sexual harassment]
About the same timeframe, Parmley’s ex-girlfriend accused him of infecting her with HIV.
Even with that baggage, Richland County, SC Democrats hired Parmley in 2012. In 2016, Parmley was then whisked away by the Alaska Democratic Party, where he has been the ED for three years; he followed former Alaska Rep. Kay Brown in that role.
Now he’s back with the South Carolina Democratic Party, where he will help the 2020 efforts to upset U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. It’s also a pivotal election year for the presidency, although South Carolina has historically been a red state. There is no gubernatorial election in South Carolina in 2020.
[Read: NC Democratic Party ex-staffer sues over sexual harassment]
In Parmley’s spot in Alaska, the Alaska Democratic Party has hired a former Mark Begich staffer, Lindsey Kavanaugh.
[Read: Road to White House: AK Democrats hire new executive director]
