A Note from the Chair

April Potluck and General Meeting Tomorrow

Our next General Meeting will be tomorrow at 7 PM. Our potluck dinner begins at 6 PM. Bring a dish to share - whether homemade or store bought - and enjoy some quality time with your fellow Dems before we settle down to business at 7. And don’t worry, if you’re not a good cook and don’t have time to shop, we’d still love for you to stop in and enjoy some food and conversation.

You do not need to be a member to attend our monthly meetings, and we would welcome your attendance.

IN PERSON: The meeting will be held in-person at the Super 8 Motel in Houghton.

REMOTE ATTENDANCE: Remote attendance is via Zoom. Email readers can click the button below at 7 PM on Wednesday to be connected to the Zoom session.

A Note from the Chair

The local 2024 campaign season is starting to roll. We’ve already had Michigan's presidential primary in February. We have a campaign office, at our old digs in Hancock. The primary campaigns for August are now in full swing, and we expect to be out this summer knocking on doors and delivering signs. And on the 20th of this month, we'll have candidates - some live, some recorded - at the Spring Fling, our big annual social and fundraiser. 

Have you bought your tickets for Spring Fling? (If not, click here). The Silent Auction always has loads of goodies, and you can only bid if you’re there! The Bonfire's meals are always a great accompaniment to a night with a crowd of fellow Dems - the more the merrier. So, if you can spare the $50 for a ticket ($40 for a student), we would be thrilled to see you there for the meal and the entertainment.     

Another big deadline this month: April 23rd is the filing deadline for the August and November elections. If you've been thinking about stepping up to run, now is the hour. Many races in Houghton County are under-run, meaning that there are fewer candidates than positions. This is especially true of local positions like some school boards and township supervisors. It's certainly better for our democracy if elected positions are filled by election rather than by appointment. Come to our April meeting and let's talk about what positions are available in your area. 

Are you already on your way to becoming a candidate for election? If you want to get signatures for your nominating petition (that’s not necessary for many positions, but it can save you a filing fee), please know that we are happy to provide a table for sign-ups at Spring Fling.   

So come join with us! Meet candidates. Hang out with fellow progressives. And help the Houghton County Democrats build up our war chest for what's sure to be a hard-fought presidential election year.  Every dollar and every door knock counts.

LET'S SHOW EVERYONE IN HOUGHTON COUNTY WHAT STRENGTH IN NUMBERS REALLY MEANS.

Election Inspectors Needed in Houghton County

ELECTION WORKERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE AUGUST PRIMARY AND NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTIONS.

Becoming an election worker is a great way to support the democratic process in your local community.

Election workers are hired, paid, and trained local government workers who assist with running local elections.

During an election, Houghton County needs a staff of paid and skilled election workers, called election inspectors, to assist voters and help process ballots. Anyone in Houghton County can be trained to serve as an Election Inspector in Houghton County. Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly will provide training in May. The training takes about an hour. Training info below -

ELECTION INSPECTOR TRAINING

Friday, May 10th at 1:00 p.m.

Franklin Township Hall

An Election Inspector Application form is available here. To apply for the training, download, complete and submit this form to your local City/Township Clerk (use this search tool if you need help to find your local clerk). NOTE: You must declare a party on this form because State Law requires a balance of party affiliation among the Election Inspectors at each poll. It doesn't mean that you must be a member of a party, just that you identify with one of the parties.

If you’d like to learn more about what it means to be an election worker, view these Frequently Asked Questions from the Michigan Department of State.

Rural Organizing Training Available from the Michigan People’s Campaign

A fantastic Houghton-based training opportunity is available from our friends at the Michigan People's Campaign. If you'd like to come together with like-minded folks to learn how to organize to win the justice our communities deserve, then take advantage of this FREE training. Learn more and sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/mipeoplecampaign/event/610290/

Michigan Republicans Again Make National Headlines for the Wrong Reasons

The Michigan Republican Party has earned some well deserved bad publicity over the last year as the MAGA craziness within led to the fracturing of the state party - with actual fist fights breaking out at party events - and with reports early this year that the party is essentially broke. All of that led to Party Chair Kristina Karamo being booted out, and, after a court fight, replaced by former US Rep. Pete Hoekstra.

But while Hoekstra may now be trying to keep the state party out of the searching glare of the national spotlight, the same can’t be said of Michigan’s elected Republicans.

MI REP. MADDOCK SEES “INVADERS”

Just this past week state Rep. Matt Maddock, Republican from Oakland County and a key player in Trump’s 2020 election denial in Michigan, earned nationwide ridicule for a post he put up on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter.

In his post Maddock claimed that “illegal invaders” (aka undocumented migrants) had landed at the Detroit airport and implied that they were being given a police escort to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what (but probably BAD THINGS). The post included pictures showing three buses and a plane at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

In fact, the “invaders” were college basketball players. Yes, that’s right. The buses were there to carry the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball team who were on their way to participating in the Mens NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round in Detroit. When this was pointed out to Maddock in the comments on his post, he doubled down and derided the commenters.

Here’s just one example of the bad press that Maddock’s delusional stunt earned.

US REP. TIM WALBERG WANTS TO NUKE GAZA

As if that weren’t embarrassing enough for Michigan Republicans, over the weekend a video posted to X showed Republican US Rep. Tim Walberg seemingly promoting genocide in Gaza.

The video came from a town hall meeting that Walberg held earlier last week. Walberg is shown advocating that the United States should nuke Gaza. “It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick,” Walberg said. He prefaced that comment by saying that “We [the US] shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid” for Gazans undergoing extreme suffering and depradation as a result of Israeli bombing following the terrorist attack in Israel last October.

Walberg has since tried to walk back his comments, saying he was using a metaphor and didn’t actually mean that Gaza should be nuked. In the meantime articles calling out his comments have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Detroit Free Press, the AP, and more.

Based on everything we’ve seen this year from the Michigan Republicans, including these latest two stories, it would seem that Michigan’s elected Republican representatives, and the party behind them, would rather spread conspiracy theory nonsense and advocate genocide than work to produce legislative results, and to defend freedom and democracy for Michiganders.

Spring Fling is April 20th. Have You Got Your Tickets? - Get Yours Today!

Join your friends who’ve already purchased their tickets for our annual Spring Fling event on Saturday, April 20th, from 5 to 8 PM. We’ll be at the Bonfire at the Continental Fire Co. in Houghton. We’d love to see you there.

TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH ACTBLUE.

The event is also posted on Facebook. Feel free to share the event with your Facebook friends - the link to purchase tickets is available on Facebook as well.

Ticket prices this year will again be $50, with Student tickets available at $40.

The Spring Fling is a great way to meet up and converse with fellow Democrats and progressive voters while listening to elected officials who represent you, and learning first hand about candidates who are looking for your support.

The Fling is also one of our largest fundraising events each year, and in an election year your support is especially important.

REQUEST FOR SILENT AUCTION ITEMS

Do you have an item or items you are willing to donate to our Spring Fling Silent Auction. Past items have included gift baskets, original crafts or works of art, new books, tickets to events, gift certificates and more. If you’d like to donate an item contact Barb Turuc at [email protected].

BUY AN AD IN OUR SPRING FLING EVENT PROGRAM

Each year the HCDP puts out a high quality printed program for the Spring Fling. The program is both a momento of the event and a handy reference to Democratic office holders. Ads in our program are available at $25 for a quarter page, $50 for a half page, $100 for a full page, and $200 for the back cover (which is available in full color). Ads can promote an organization, commemorate a loved one, or support a candidate or cause aligned with the HCDP. We can take your ad copy or help you format an ad. If you’d like to support the HCDP by purchasing an ad in our program contact Steve Blackburn at [email protected].

Registration is On For The Michigan Rural Summit - Register Today!

THE RURAL CAUCUS OF THE MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATION FOR THE 2024 MICHIGAN RURAL SUMMIT.

The Houghton County Democratic Party is a sponsoring organization for the Rural Summit.

The first annual Rural Summit was held in April 2023. Over 150 rural activists attended the Summit from 45 Michigan counties. These activists attended work sessions designed for sharing ideas about the work that has been previously done and ideas for moving forward with coordinated strategies.

On April 11-13, 2024 the Rural Caucus will bring together even more rural activists, candidates, and elected officials, along with other organizations working in the rural organizing space to learn, discuss and collaborate to improve the lives of our rural neighbors in Michigan.

Confirmed speakers for the Summit include Mark Brewer, Paul Kendrick of Rust Belt Rising, and Celinda Lake. The Friday Dinner Keynote will be delivered by Senator Debbie Stabenow. The Saturday Dinner Keynote will be delivered by Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist. Many State Legislators have also confirmed they will be in attendance.

JOIN OTHER HOUGHTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS WHO HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP TO ATTEND!!

For more information, and to register for the Summit and book hotel rooms, click the button below.

Next Monthly Meeting

HCDP Monthly Meetings: Unless otherwise communicated our monthly meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Potluck at 6 PM, Meeting at 7 PM. In the conference room at the Houghton Super 8, and by Zoom (starting at 7 PM).

NEXT MEETING: APRIL 3RD

Community Events

THUR APR 4

The South Range Village Council meets Thursday at 6 PM in the South Range Community Building. For more information contact the Village at [email protected] or (906) 482-8833

Governmental meetings are scheduled throughout the month by bodies from the County Commission to City, Village and Township boards, committees and commissions; as well as local School Boards and the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

Check by phone or on the particular governmental website for meeting notices in your community. Your participation in local government meetings lets your elected and appointed officials know you are interested in their work, and can provide you with the opportunity to speak about your concerns during public comment periods.