Unassuming. Loyal. Quiet. Determined. Dedicated. Those attributes clearly describe outgoing KAD Chair, Dick Bingham. Having been the highly successful KAD leader since April 2013, Dick is stepping down, yet elevating his support for Democrats in Chester County.
Dick, who is not a native of Chester County, was born into a Republican family in Middlebury, Vermont. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in chemistry, earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University, and was a member of the research science staff at the University of Texas. In 1973, he accepted a position with DuPont and remained there for thirty-seven years, until he retired in 2010.
Dick was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton in 2007, working to help her secure the Democratic Party nomination. It was during those years that he connected with other like-minded voters in KAD. Although Clinton did not win the nomination in 2008, he remained with KAD, as they joined with Democrats nationally to elect Barack Obama. When Clinton won the nomination in 2016, he led KAD, as they opened a campaign office in downtown Kennett Square in an ambitious effort of support for her and down-ballot Democratic candidates. While Clinton was defeated in the election, she won 21 of our 22 precincts in the KAD service area! Dick’s steady leadership must be credited with that astounding statistic.
Although he is retiring from KAD leadership, he is not abandoning the goal of putting Democrats into state offices. As chair of the Zone Leader Caucus, he is leading a county-wide group of zone leaders who are engaged in encouraging candidates to run, then shepherding them through the campaign process, all in an ardent, sustainable effort to turn Chester County blue.
Dick says that the key to the bluing of Chester County demands “24/7 vigilance for 52 weeks of each year.” He maintains that Democrats cannot win critical offices if we merely support candidates for three months every four years. Dick’s mandate for Chester County is fervent and powerful: “Stay focused on electing Democrats.”
Brenda Mercomes
