This morning, I woke up hoping I would learn that Democratic  candidate Jon Ossoff had received over 50% of the votes in the 18-candidate multi-party primary race for Georgia's 6th Congressional District. The seat was made vacant with the Trump appointment of Representative Tom Price to be our new Secretary of Health and Human Services. (Among the items on Dr. Price's wish list is the privatization of Medicare.)
Unfortunately, candidate Ossoff fell a bit more than 1 percentage  point shy of the 50 percent +1 majority goal that would have immediately sent him to Congress. This means that in June he must face the candidate with the second highest vote in a runoff election. His opponent will be Karen Handel, chairwoman of the Fulton County Commission and a proud opponent of Planned Parenthood. She received 19.8% of the vote.
A win yesterday for Ossoff would have definitely shown that some red state voters are having second thoughts about their odd  Republican president and the candidates who support him. The closeness of the Ossoff race does sort of indicate that anyway. But a win would have given a big psychological boost to engaged Democrats across the country watching President Trump's antics with increasing disbelief. It would also bode well for the possibility of winning back a congressional majority in 2018.
Now, you might think that with a vote gap of nearly 30 percent between Ossoff and Handel, our guy would be highly favored to win in June. And yes, we may see him win, but it will be a very tight race. Here are a couple of hard facts to consider.
Georgia's 6th District is made up of Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton counties. In the November 2016 general election more than 333,000 ballots were cast. Yesterday's voting attracted just 192,000 votes. It's true that this is a very respectable number for an off year, special election. However, it wasn't a big enough turnout to give our candidate a clean victory. Yesterday 140,000 voters stayed home. Were a lot of them Democrats? Republicans? Swing voters? I assume someone in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is looking into that. If they aren't, they certainly should be.
According to the official website of the D-Triple-C,  https://dccc.org/, they describe themselves as "the official campaign arm of the Democrats in the House of Representatives." They go on to say that they are: "the only political committee in the country whose principal mission is to support Democratic House candidates every step of the way to victory." Wow! They do sound determined. - I don't know if they had the same description of their purpose back in 2010 when they lost majority control of Congress. If they did, then to borrow a line from George W, "Heckuva of a job Brownie!"
The special congressional race that was recently lost in Kansas by a surprisingly small margin and now this close race in Georgia -- that still could result in a win in June -- underscores the importance of taking every one of these congressional seat opportunities very, very seriously. -- So, will the DCCC double their efforts to bring in every favorable vote from those 140,000 "no shows." Are they developing some fresh moves that will sway voters over to Jon Ossoff? We'll see.
Here are a few more things I learned today, as I did my research.  When I visited the DCCC website, I learned that its Chairman is Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico. He was appointed to that role by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi back in 2014. Perhaps most of you reading this are more politically informed than I am, but I never heard of the guy. Maybe that 's not important but is seems to me that the DCCC should be nationally visible with a unifying message for voters and a spokesperson who will impressively deliver it. (Perhaps Ben Ray can, but I haven't heard anything from him yet.)
Incidentally, I feel the same way about the Democratic National  Committee (DNC), "the formal governing body for the U.S. Democratic Party." The same goes for its new Chairman, former Labor Secretary Tom Perez and for the DNC's message - or the present absence of any.
Of course we all have the option of financially supporting these red state Democratic candidates and others across the U.S. through ActBlue or a number of online blog sites like the Daily Kos. And here at home, our political leaders at the congressional level are determined to help Democratic candidates in our region unseat neighboring Republicans now in Congress - some are in Illinois, some in states nearby. We will be asked to participate. -- I do not know how much of that effort is being inspired by and/or supported by the DCCC. I would hope it is.
 Most important of all, you can be sure that as 2018 approaches, we will all be called upon to get involved in the campaigns for our local congressional seats (Brad Schneider's will be strongly challenged), and in the races for the Illinois governorship and local state legislative offices.
This morning we saw that during this reign of Trump an articulate candidate with a positive message can make an extremely strong showing against the right wing. To help Jon Ossoff in the weeks before his June run off, click here.
And over the next 18 months all of us will confront similar challenges right here at home. If you want to get involved in these important local contests, stay tuned.
Nels Howard
NTDO member since 1973
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This Sunday, April 23 in Wilmette's Gillson Park, there will be a memorial celebration for Sharon Suzda, our friend, passionate Democrat and diligent NTDO Office Manager.
You are invited to gather in her honor
from 2 PM - 3:30 PM at the Gillson Park Lakeview Center.
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A message from Congresswoman Schakowsky's field organizer about a very important phone banking action at the NTD office.
 "Hi everybody. -- I will be helping Congresswoman Schakowsky, running phone banks out of New Trier office starting on Monday, april 24. We will be calling to defend reproductive rights.
If you are interested in helping out at my office please let me know! Illinois is at risk.
 President Trump and his anti-choice cabal -- including recently-appointed anti-choice Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch -- are working night and day to overturn Roe v. Wade and take reproductive freedom away from American women. If they are successful, things will be especially bad in Illinois.
Illinois has a "trigger" law that will immediately criminalize abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned. It is known as the Illinois Abortion Trigger Law. Pro-choice advocates around the state are coming together to support legislation called HB40, which would repeal the awful Illinois Abortion Trigger Law. HB40 will ensure that reproductive freedom is secure in Illinois-no matter what Donald Trump and his anti-choice allies do in Washington.
In order to get those votes and pass this bill, we need pro-choice volunteers from across Illinois to band together and fight back by contacting pro-choice voters in target districts and urging them to contact their representative in Springfield.
We need your help contacting thousands of pro-choice voters across the state through phone banking and door-to-door canvassing. We will give you all of the information and materials you need to be a champion for choice in Illinois.
Will you join us?"
Stacy Zeidman
Field Organizer
To volunteer for phone banking, click here.
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Have you visited Senator Biss' website "The Road Back" --
click on the link to his video -- then, throughout the summer follow his plan's development on the website.
Daniel explains a lot about how Illinois got where it is today and how we can begin the journey on the road back toward achieving our state's tremendous economic potential.
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Other upcoming events and news items:
Saturday, April 22 in Chicago - March for Science Chicago
 When:
Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 9:00am
Where:
Place in downtown Chicago to be determined
What:
An Earth Day march to take a stand for science. The mission is: to show support for the scientific community, to safeguard the scientific process and research funding, to publicly celebrate science, and to encourage curiosity and exploration, the heart of the scientific approach.
For additional information, click here.
 And if you're a Daniel Biss supporter....
You can meet in downtown Chicago at the plaza on Van Buren & State by 9:30 a.m. By train, take the red or blue line to Jackson and exit through the Van Buren side of the platform.
At 9:30, they will distribute Biss gear and clipboards. You'll walk together to the official rally, which starts at 10. The March ends at noon, followed by a "science expo" outside the field museum from 12-3. Details can be found.
Please note: Forecasts show a chance of rain. If we expect significant rain, our plans may change, and I'll follow up with another email.
Please share this information with your friends, family, and other Biss supporters in your network. To RSVP to Daniel click here.
Saturday, April 22 at the Botanic Garden, Glencoe - Brad Schneider Hosts an Earth Day Climate Change Panel.
 When:
Saturday, April 22, 1:00 - 2:00pm. Doors open at 12:30pm
Where:
Chicago Botanic Garden, Alsdorf Auditorium, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
What:
Celebrate Earth Day at a panel discussion on global climate change hosted by Congressman Brad Schneider. Panelists include: Donald Wuebbles, University of Illinois; Tom Skilling, WGN-TV; Elisabeth Moyer, Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago; Gregory Mueller, Chicago Botanic Garden.
Free admission but registration is required.
For additional information or to RSVP, register online or call 847-383-4870.
Tuesday, April 25 in Springfield - Illinois Women March on Springfield.
 When:
Tuesday, April 25, 12:00 noon - 3:00pm
Where:
Rally at Lincoln Statue, State Capital, Springfield
What:
A day of advocacy, lobbying and a large rally by more than 50 organizations across the state that support a progressive agenda. The focus will be on advocating for specific legislation under consideration in the Spring 2017 Illinois legislative session.
Saturday April 29 in Washington D.C. - T
he Peoples Climate March on April 29 in Washington D.C.
 When: Saturday, April 29, 9:00 AM -3:00 PM
Where: Washington D.C.
On Saturday, April 29 in our nation's capital and across the country, marchers will stand together to demand that Donald Trump act in a meaningful way to address the climate crisis and stop attacking the hard-won protections for all our communities, especially people of color, indigenous people, women, and more. Together, we can show the world that we demand climate action. To sign up for the Washington march click here. -- (More details for events across the country to follow.)
Friday, May 5 at noon in Chicago - Jan Schakowsky's Ultimate Women's Power Lunch in Chicago.
When:
Friday, May 5, at 12:00 noon
Where:
Chicago Hilton, 720 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
What:
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky hosts the 2017 Ultimate Women's Power Lunch. Keynote speaker: Gina McCarthy, head of the EPA under President Obama. Special guest: Tamika Mallory, Co-Chair of the Women's March on Washington.
Friday, May 5 at 5:30 in Chicago - Nasty Women Art Exhibition to Support Planned Parenthood.
 When:
Friday, May 5, from 5:30 - 10:30pm
Where:
Moonlight Studios, 1446 W. Kinzie St., Chicago
What:
A one-night exhibition and fundraiser to hear and support the voices of artists identifying as Nasty Women. This is a free event open to all ages that will sell artist submissions and include food and drink, music, speakers, and more.
All profits from the sale of artwork will benefit Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
Saturday, May 6 in Ravinia -
A Safe Place Hosts Wine, Women & Shoes
When:
Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 5:30pm
Where:
Ravinia Festival, Highland Park
What:
An opportunity to sip fine wines in support of A Safe Place, providing lifesaving services for survivors and children of domestic violence as they transform their lives.
For additional information or to RSVP,
register online.
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Your Legislators:
 Democratic Legislators
who represent New Trier Township in
Washington, Springfield and Cook County
You'll be hearing a lot from these exceptional public servants. --
And they want to be hearing a lot from you.
The fact is, they need to hear from you and want to hear from you in order to represent you most effectively. So, the first thing you can do is get to know who these people are. The links below to their campaign websites are a good place to start.
Jan Schakowsky
, 9th U.S. Congressional District Representative
and Chief Deputy House Democratic Whip. The new Ninth District boundaries include all of New Trier except for Glencoe.
Brad Schneider
, 10th U.S. Congressional District Representative which includes a number of precincts in Glencoe.
Daniel Biss,
State Senator for Illinois' 9th State Senate District.The Ninth District includes all of New Trier Township.
Julie Morrison, State Senator for Illinois' 29th State Senate District. The district includes New Trier's northernmost precincts.
Robyn Gabel,
IL 18th District State Representative. The 18th District includes much of New Trier up to Hazel Avenue and Dundee Road.
Laura Fine
, IL 17th District State Representative.
The 17th District includes the East Glenview and West Wilmette areas of New Trier Township.
Scott Drury
,
IL 58th District State Representative.
The 58th District includes the northernmost precincts in Glencoe.
Larry Suffredin, Cook County 13th District Commissioner. The 13th District includes all of New Trier, Evanston and Niles Townships.
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| Dear Fellow Democrats, If you are not already an NTDO member, and enjoy our Newsletter, we hope you consider joining us as a dues-paying member. NTDO is a not-for-profit political action organization. We depend on our membership dues to support our Democratic causes and candidates. There are two options for dues payments: by check or credit card. By Check: Make check payable to NTDO and mail to our office: NTDO 800 Oak St., Suite 112 Winnetka, IL 60093 OR By Credit Card: visit our website by clicking here Click on the "Get Involved" tab
Find the link for "contribute with ActBlue"
or go directly there by clicking here.
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Still not a member of the New Trier Dems? Your participation in grassroots political action will make a difference. -- Come join us.
 When you're a member of the New Trier Democratic Organization, you have an active role in affecting the political process; participating in grassroots campaigns, staying in touch with elected officials, playing a role in deciding which candidates are endorsed. You'll also gain free admission to select forums and events throughout the year.
Come be a part of New Trier's grassroots political community.
About Us:
The New Trier Democratic Organization is made up of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dedicated to advancing progressive ideals through the political process. We welcome your participation.
Sincerely,
Dean T. Maragos, Committeeman New Trier Township
We are located at 800 Oak Street in Winnetka, IL. Ph: 847-446-8030
Contact: newtrierdemocrats@gmail.com.
*This Internet communication paid for by the New Trier Democratic Organization and not authorized by any federal or state candidate or campaign committee. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois.
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