[1] He was the longest serving state Democratic Party chairman in the nation at the time he stepped down from his post.
During Berendt's tenure as chairman, Democrat Christine Gregoire became governor after a heavily fought election.
Under Berendt's leadership, Washington became the only state in US history to elect two women senators and a woman governor.
The grassroots of the party has been rebuilt resulting in the addition of thousands of precinct committee workers to its membership in the past decade.
Paul Berendt is now Senior Vice President at Strategies 360, a Seattle-based strategic communications firm.