Samuel Vilchez Santiago came to the United States fleeing political persecution in Venezuela, where he witnessed his parents’ courageous fight to protect democracy. He began volunteering with the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) in 2014 and has since dedicated himself to electing Democrats and defending the rights of vulnerable Floridians. In 2016, Samuel served as a diversity and inclusion fellow for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, later managing Johanna Lopez’s historic School Board campaign in 2018. By 2020, he led a statewide voting rights initiative at All Voting is Local and served as a Hispanic media surrogate for the Biden campaign. In 2022, he helped raise and deploy nearly $1 million to flip a State Senate seat in Central Florida. Most recently, in 2024, he chaired the Orange County DEC while co-chairing the national Venezuelans with Biden/Harris work group. Professionally, Samuel is a Senior Manager at ActBlue, where he supports Democrats and nonprofits in raising critical funds to stand up against MAGA extremism.

As Chair of the Orange County DEC, Samuel revitalized the Democratic brand in Central Florida—raising over $600,000, recruiting more than 2,000 volunteers, and collaborating closely with the Florida Democratic Party, House Victory, and Senate Victory. Under his leadership, Democrats gained control of the Orange County School Board, held all County Commission seats, flipped House District 45, and reclaimed both the State Attorney and Supervisor of Elections offices. Now, as Florida’s first Gen-Z DNC member, Samuel is running for re-election to secure more resources for local DECs, rebuild the Democratic brand among Spanish-speaking communities through media and digital outreach, and ensure youth representation at the highest levels of the Party.