UPCOMING EVENTS
DATE & TIME | EVENT & LOCATION |
|---|---|
Ongoing / Wednesdays | Yoopers for Ukraine Bridge March. Every Wednesday at 5 PM. More info on the Yoopers for Ukraine Facebook page. |
June 16 @ 6 PM | Baraga County Dems Monthly Meeting @ L’Anse Township Hall. For more on the Baraga County Dems join their Facebook Group. |
June 16 thru 20 | Rural Summit by the Rural Caucus of the MDP. Find more info here. |
June 24 @ 5 PM | HCDP hosts Open House at the Office. For more info see item below. |
September 1 | Deadline for your recipe submission to our Community Cookbook. Submit your recipe here. |
Events featured in our newsletter can also be found on the Events Calendar on the main page of our website.
OPEN HOUSE AT THE OFFICE
Volunteers have been hard at work getting furniture and supplies out of storage and setting up the Houghton County Dems office for the 2026 election season.
Join us to celebrate the opening of the HCDP Office! Stop by our Open House on June 24 to check out the office, learn about volunteer opportunities, meet fellow members and supporters, and enjoy light refreshments.
We look forward to seeing you at the Open House!!
WHAT: HCDP Open House @ the Office
WHEN: Wednesday, June 24th from 5 PM to 7 PM
WHERE: HCDP Office at 323 Quincy Avenue in Hancock
Click to see our office location on Google Maps.
HELP US COOK UP SOMETHING GOOD
WE WANT YOU! (OR AT LEAST YOUR RECIPES!!)
We’re looking for a few good recipes from you and all of our fellow Houghton Dems and newsletter readers. In honor of our nation’s 250th birthday we’d like to prepare a community cookbook so we can all cook up a celebration!
If you’d like to participate, scan the QR code in the graphic above, or click the button below to access our form where you can submit your recipe. Or if you’d like you can email your recipe to [email protected].
We’d like to have your recipe no later than September 1st.
Thanks for participating, and please share with your friends and family!!
HCDP AT BRIDGEFEST AND PRIDEFEST
Clockwise from the top: (1) Houghton Dems marchers in the Bridgefest Parade: Mick Sheridan, William Keith, Barb Turuc, 1st District US House candidate Callie Barr, Miranda Verive, Nancy Verive, the Barr daughters, Lily Dixon. (2) Campaigners for Kelli including candidate for MI Senate Kelli van Ginhoven. (3) MI House candidate Brian Irizarry. (4) The HCDP booth at Kestner Park. (Photos 1 & 4 courtesy Brian Hoduski, photos 2 & 3 courtesy Kim Cook.)
Another Bridgefest is in the books - this one was pretty windy!! We had a great showing for Democrats in this election year. Besides our HCDP volunteers we also had candidates Callie Barr (US House), Kelli van Ginhoven (MI Senate) and Brian Irizarry (MI House) marching in the parade. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our table or cheered as we paraded by.
From the top: (1) HCDP Finance Chair Amy Hjerstedt chats with a Pridefest attendee. (2) A great set of colorful buttons! (3) Candy and flyers welcome Pridefest goers to our table.
We engaged with folks who visited our table throughout the Pridefest event on Saturday June 6th. Steady traffic, making new contacts, giving reminders about the primary, and fun buttons! Thanks to our volunteers who made it happen! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🌈
JOIN US! BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE HOUGHTON COUNTY DEMS IS EASY TO DO!
Many of our readers are not members of the Houghton County Dems, or may have let their membership lapse. That’s okay, we love having you here of course. But…we’d really love to see you become a member — AND IT’S EASY TO DO!
You become a member of our county party by joining the Michigan Democratic Party. Anyone who lives in Houghton County who is a member of the Michigan Democratic Party is automatically also a member of the Houghton County Democratic Party.
Membership in the Michigan Democratic Party is available at various levels (free up to $250 per month). For the paid memberships you can choose monthly or annual payment options.
By joining the MI Dems you not only automatically become a member of your local county party, but you are also helping to support candidates across the state and you have the privilege of voting at our county party meetings and at the MI Dems state convention.
If you join the MI Dems at the ‘Activist’ level ($25/year) or a higher, the Houghton County Dems will be allocated a portion of your membership payment.
For paid options, click the button below:
Good news! Yes, that’s right — for those who are feeling the pinch in the Trump economy, there is a no-cost option for becoming a member of the Michigan Dems. To take advantage of the no-cost option simply click the button below and fill out the form.
CAMPAIGN NEWS
CALLIE BARR CAMPAIGN - SOCIAL SECURITY FORUM RECORDING AVAILABLE ON FACEBOOK, UP TOWN HALLS SCHEDULED
Two Fridays ago the Callie Barr campaign for the US House held two community forums (in Traverse City and Marquette) on “Protecting Social Security” featuring the candidate and the former governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley (who also served as the Social Security Administrator under President Biden). A video recording of the Marquette forum, including Q&A, is available on the campaign’s Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, you can view that video here.
Callie Barr also has the first of three UP Town Halls scheduled for June 23rd in Watersmeet on June 23rd at 4:30 PM. She will hold additional town halls in Marquette on June 24th and here in Houghton County at the Calumet Theatre on July 19th. For the Watersmeet Town Hall, find more information and pre-register here.
COMMUNITY NEWS
NEWS OF INTEREST TO LOCAL DEMOCRATS — ENERGY EDITION
The J. H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, MI was slated to close at the end of May, but Trump admin policy has forced the plant to remain open, despite it’s replacement being operational. (Photo source: Public News Service, photo credit: Consumers Energy)
HOW MUCH HAS THE TRUMP WAR WITH IRAN COST YOU?: to answer that question to the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University put together their “Iran War Energy Cost Tracker” that tracks the increased cost of gasoline and diesel. According to their methodology, as of this weekend the Iran War has cost Americans over $58 billion dollars in increased energy costs. That’s over $440 per household. You can find the Iran War Energy Cost Tracker at this website. Look for the link at the top if you’re curious about the methodology behind the statistics.
TRUMP TARGETS LIHEAP: When Trump says he doesn’t think about American families finances we know he means it, and he’s found another way to prove it. His budget for 2027 proposes eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This program provides direct support to those most impacted by the very crisis he is accelerating. As Michigan Advance says in their article from last month “LIHEAP extends a lifeline to over 430,000 Michiganders and five million Americans, including people with disabilities, families, seniors and households with high energy burdens, with both seasonal and year-round support.”
TRUMP ADMIN FORCES COAL PLANTS TO REMAIN OPEN, DOUBLING COSTS FOR SOME RATEPAYERS: Coal-fired plants in Michigan, Colorado, Washington state and Indiana have been forced to remain open despite plans to close them thanks to a Trump admin ruling. Michelle Solomon, energy manager for the nonpartisan policy think tank Energy Innovation, says downstate Michigan customers of Consumers Energy “are paying double for the electricity that they would need that’s coming from this coal plant because they’re already paying for the new resource in addition to now paying for the coal plant that’s being kept online.”
CLEAN ENERGY AMONG THE QUESTIONS FACED BY GOVERNOR CANDIDATES: Bridge Michigan asked the eight candidates running for Governor some pretty in-depth questions about the environment, including their plans for a clean energy future for the state. You can find the newspaper’s write up of their answers in this article.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS
TUE JUN 16
The Laurium Village Council meets tonight at 6 PM in the Council Chambers of the Town Hall. More info (including the GoTo Meeting link to attend virtually) can be found on the Village Council's web page.
The Calumet Village Council meets tonight at 6:00 PM in the Village Council Chambers. More information (including the Zoom link to attend virtually) can be found on the Village’s News & Events web page.
WED JUN 17
The Hancock City Council meets at 6 PM in the Hancock City Hall Council Chambers.
A FULL LISTING OF ALL LOCAL CITY, VILLAGE AND TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENTS, WITH CONTACT INFORMATION, AND (WHERE AVAILABLE) TIMING OF LOCAL COUNCIL MEETINGS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE.
SUBMIT A RESOLUTION
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