February Monthly Meeting Tomorrow

HCDP February Meeting Tomorrow

Our monthly meeting is tomorrow, Wednesday Feb. 5th. It’s an opportunity for all of us to get together to use our power — our voices — and work together on actions we can take to address our concerns.

EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT A MEMBER, YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US.

Your voice and your power, together with those of your neighbors and friends. Collectively, we can be a more potent force for good.

POTLUCK STARTS AT 6 PM

MEETING STARTS AT 7 PM

SAVE THE DATE!

THE 63RD ANNUAL SPRING FLING BANQUET AND FUNDRAISER IS SATURDAY, MAY 3

DINNER, AWARDS, AND SILENT AUCTION
To donate items for the auction or to place an ad in the program, contact Nancy Verive. [email protected] / 812-573-1403.

Watch future newsletters for more details and ticket information! 

Senator Peters Announces He Will Not Seek Re-election in 2026

Last Tuesday Michigan’s Senator Gary Peters announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026. On Thurday the Senator discussed his decision in an exclusive interview with the Detroit News.

From the Detroit News article:

David Crowley Passes Away

Dave Crowley passed away Saturday, January 24th. He was a good Democrat and terrific community activist — high school drama director, parade organizer, author, and also an active Democrat. If you ever enjoyed popcorn at a HCDP meeting, it was Dave who made and brought it. He always attended the Spring Fling, and always donated something to the silent auction. We mourn his passing.

TV 6 News has posted a very nice remembrance of Dave, as did the Daily Mining Gazette and radio’s K-Bear 102.3. You can find Dave’s obituary on Legacy.com.

A Funeral Mass was held for Dave this past Friday at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Calumet. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.

Minnesota’s Ken Martin Wins Race for DNC Chair

Minnesota state party chair Ken Martin won the race to become Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Committee members met to vote on Saturday in Maryland.

Martin had been considered a frontrunner along with Wisconsin state party chair Ben Wickler, who had the endorsement of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

In his remarks to DNC Committee members Martin said, in part:

“As I said from the beginning, I’m not running against them any more than they were running against us…It is my guarantee to each of you that we’re going to take the great ideas from all the candidates in this race, we’re going to bring them into this great party, we’re going to unify this party together and we’re all going to roll up our sleeves together to build this party.”

Michigan Democratic Party Spring Convention February 22

The Michigan Democratic Party’s Spring 2025 Convention will take place Saturday, February 22 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

At the 2025 Spring State Convention, Michigan Democrats will gather by congressional district to elect district officers and members to the State Central Committee. On the Convention floor, Democrats will vote by congressional district to elect a Chair and two (2) Vice-Chairs of the State Central Committee.

All members of the Michigan Democratic Party are encouraged to attend the 2025 Spring State Convention.

Registration Now Open For the MDP Rural Caucus Summit

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR RURAL CAUCUS SUMMIT

The 3rd annual MDP Rural Caucus Summit will be held April 10th through the 12th. The Kewadin Casino and Resort in Sault Ste Marie will once again be the venue. Top keynote speakers are expected again next year, along with training sessions on running for rural office, rural party building, messaging, and much more.

News from the Capitols

NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST TO HOUGHTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS

IN LANSING

• NEARLY 90 BILLS SIGNED: Last month Governor Whitmer signed nearly 90 bills into law. The new laws create jobs, lower costs and support affordable housing, keep schools and communities safe, and protect reproductive rights, among other things. At the end of the month the Governor’s office released a bulletin going into more depth about what these new laws mean. You can find that bulletin and sign up to receive further updates from the Michigan Executive Office of the Governor on this website.

• STUDENTS, SUBMIT YOUR ARTWORK FOR THE STATE OF THE STATE: Governor Whitmer is encouraging young, creative Michiganders to come up with a design for the program cover for her State of the State speech on February 26th. The artwork should be on the theme, “Think Michigan.” Students are welcome to use crayon, marker, paint or any other material. If you have a creative youngster in your life, encourage them to submit a design. They can do so by visiting Michigan.gov/ArtContest and following the instructions on the webpage. Submissions will be accepted exclusively through the online system and must be received no later than 11:59 PM next Friday, February 14th.

• MICHIGAN WOULD TO BE HARD HIT BY A TRUMP TRADE WAR WITH CANADA: With Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs imposed on Canada delayed at least for a month we have some breathing room bofore what could be an extended period of trade disruption with Canada that could have extreme economic impacts on our state. Motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts imported to Michigan from Canada represent $30 billion dollars annually in economic activity. About 165,000 workers in the state are employed by motor vehicle manufacturers or parts suppliers. MORE: Lansing State Journal

• 2026 BALLOT INITIATIVES IN THE NEWS: Two potential ballot initiatives to amend Michigan’s constitution were in the news this week. One, from a group called Rank MI Vote aims to remove state constitutional barriers to ranked choice voting measures passed by cities like Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor and East Lansing. The proposed ballot initiative would also implement ranked choice voting in Michigan for Federal and statewide elected offices. A second potential ballot initiative is expected from conservative groups and would require would-be voters to provide proof that they are U.S. citizens when they register. A MI House bill to do just that has been put forward by Republican state representatives, but it’s unlikely to pass with the necessary two-thirds majority, which is where the ballot initiative would take over. MORE: Ranked Choice Voting, and Proof of US Citizenship

• SECRETARY OF STATE CANDIDATE: Michigan’s Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie has thrown his hat in the ring to succeed Jocelyn Benson in 2026. You can watch his campaign kickoff video and learn more about Edevbie on his campaign website — www.aghogho.com

IN WASHINGTON

• TRUMP’S CHAOS CONTINUES: So many things have happened in Washington over the last week that it’s almost impossible to stay on top of it all, and that is undoubtedly by design. A key phrase highlighted the approach in the early internet days of what are now our tech giants. That phrase, attributed to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg - “Move fast and break things” definitely applies to the new administration’s approach in the early days of Trump’s second term. AP News has put together a good summary of the chaotic Week 2.

• TRADE WARS DEFERRED: Donald Trump reversed course yesterday, after the stock market drop in the morning. The Dow Jones opened almost 500 points off its previous high and continued to drop until Trump announced his truce with Mexico. By the end of the day the 25% tariffs with Canada were pulled too (“at least” for a month). Ten percent tariffs on all goods from China were implemented however. China has vowed to take “necessary countermeasures”.

• GOVERNMENT OF THE BILLIONAIRES, BY THE BILLIONAIRES, FOR THE BILLIONAIRES: A number of news outlets were reporting over the weekend that Elon Musk and his DOGE team have been meeting with heads of federal departments demanding to be given access to their computer systems and databases. As of Sunday evening his team had attempted to takeover systems for USAID, and after being refused by the agency’s security officers those officers were placed on administrative leave. Yesterday news came that the Trump administration is “shutting down” USAID, a move clearly beyond Trump’s presidential powers. The internal administration scuffling over USAID has imperiled humanitarian aid to Gaza at a crucial time post ceasefire.

• OF, BY, AND FOR BILLIONAIRES PART 2: The DOGE team has already gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems and data, with the acquiescence of Trump’s newly appointed Treasury Secretary. Those systems handle payments on behalf of the US government, including trillions of dollars in entitlement benefits, grants and tax refunds to Americans each year.

Governmental & Community Meetings

THUR FEB 06

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

This newsletter is paid for with regulated funds by the Houghton County Democratic Party, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Contact us by email at [email protected] or by text or voicemail at 906-523-1233