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The Chair's Corner
WEEKLY PROGRESS REPORT:
Breaking Records
May 12, 2017
Your Dallas County Democratic Party is breaking records! Let us count the ways:

Fundraising: Almost 500 people attended the 2017 Johnson-Jordan Dinner, sponsored by the Dallas County Democratic Party (DCDP). This event is the DCDP's largest fundraiser of the year. In advance of the dinner, DCDP had raised over $150,000 from sponsorships and ticket sales for the dinner, which is $20,000 more than last year. The success of this fundraising effort was then enhanced when keynote speaker Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland and 2016 presidential candidate, waived his fee to support our efforts to elect Democrats in Dallas County. Funds raised from the Johnson-Jordan Dinner support the DCDP and our Coordinated Campaign, which coordinates the work of the Party to elect our Democratic nominees.

DCDP Tillotson Speaker Series: This series was initiated this year. It is the first speaker series sponsored by DCDP. Thus far, keynote speakers have included Judge Ken Molberg and County Commissioner Theresa Daniel. The luncheons are scheduled at noon on the first Friday of each month during the 2017 year at Maggiano's Restaurant at NorthPark. The next luncheon is scheduled for noon on Friday, June 2, 2017. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson will be the speaker. The ticket is $25 for students, $50 for precinct chairs, and $100 for all others. Reservations can be made online or by calling the DCDP Office at 214-821-8331.

Youth Recruitment: DCDP has ongoing youth recruitment efforts. This year, we tried something new: We appointed Volunteer Youth Outreach Director Herlinda Resendiz (who concentrates on high school and college-age voters) and Volunteer Young Adult Outreach Director Cynthia Halatyn (who focuses on young professionals and other voters between the ages of 21 and 40 years of age.) The 2016 presidential race clearly demonstrated the enthusiasm and commitment of voters under 30. Traditionally, the highest voting turnout is among seniors, with those between the ages of 45 and 65 close behind. However, beginning with the 2008 presidential election, the numbers of voters under 45 years of age have increased dramatically. More significantly, in the 2016 election, younger voters were more likely to vote for Democratic candidates. This information, alone, would give us incentive to recruit young voters into the Party. However, there is another important reason to recruit younger voters: They are the future of the Party.

Women's Forums: The DCDP staff created a series of women's forums to accommodate the many requests to get involved, made by members of local Pantsuit Nation groups and other local women's groups. The first forum featured a panel of outstanding women who had succeeded in various careers. The second forum is on the subject of "Women in Politics." This forum, which will feature local elected women officials, will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2017 from 9am to 12 noon at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union Hall at 3629 W. Miller Road in Garland 75041. The cost of $10 can be paid online or at the door.

Diversity Recruitment: DCDP has a Diversity Recruitment Committee, which published a Spanish-language Voter's Guide and worked with Rollin Gary, Catalina Garcia, Jan Sanders and Frances Rizo to produce Spanish-language online videos to explain the voting process. Frances Rizo, Kevin Felder and Audrey Moorehead worked on behalf of the committee with State Senator Royce West to design an African-American Voter's Guide, which included issues most affecting the African-American community. During primary season, Audrey Moorehead worked with the committee and the DCDP Office to plan and present a successful, well-attended Unity Rally at Paul Quinn College. Unity is certainly the key to Democratic victories in the upcoming 2018 election season.

Candidates: In the 2016 primary, the DCDP and its many volunteers accepted, and met, the challenge to field a candidate in every race for state representative. By the filing deadline, we were proud to announce that our goal had been met. We understand that this was the first time in 50 years that a Democratic candidate had filed for every house race. Already, it appears that DCDP will field a candidate for every house race on the ballot. Potential Democratic candidates from Dallas County are already contemplating races for Congress and State Senate. Some have already announced! Candidate recruitment is already a success, and the filing deadline is 6 months away! The prospects are encouraging. This past month, after the House passed the atrocious TrumpCare bill, Cooks Political Report downgraded GOP re-election odds in twenty districts, and one of those districts is the 32nd Congressional District, right here in Dallas.

Operation Blue: This year, the DCDP staff has created "Operation Blue" to keep the momentum going, to accommodate new Democrats, and to prepare for the 2018 elections. Operation Blue is a new concept, based on our belief that, to properly prepare for 2018, we need to start NOW registering voters, recruiting Democrats and supporting local resistance efforts. Near the beginning of the year, DCDP hosted a series of training sessions to which new Democrats, and local resistance groups were invited. These seminars were well-attended, and filled with lots of new faces. Many of these participants signed up to help with our weekly block walks. If you would like to help with Operation Blue, call the DCDP Office at 214-821-8331.

We welcome your involvement in DCDP to help us elect Democrats in Dallas County. You can help in any of the following ways:



Yours Democratically,
 
Carol Donovan, DCDP Chair



Contact:
Dallas County Democratic Party
4209 Parry Avenue, Dallas TX 75223
Phone: 214-821-8331     Fax: 214-821-0995
Website:  www.dallasdemocrats.org
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DallasDemocrats
Twitter:  twitter.com/dallasdemocrats
Instagram:  http://instagram.com/dallasdemocrats