Yard Signs

Time to Knock Doors! - A Note from the Chair

CANVASSING DOORS (ALSO CALLED DOOR KNOCKING) IS PERSONAL VOTER CONTACT - THE MOST EFFECTIVE KIND OF OUTREACH IN A CAMPAIGN. 

Our next target for door knocking is the dense trove of Democratic voters in the city of Houghton, where we'll be knocking friendly doors for turnout and hoping to get signs in yards.

We would like to run canvasses in the evenings, Thursday the 12th and Saturday the 14th. We will meet both days at 5:30 PM at Cyberia Cafe on Shelden Avenue in Houghton, close to our target areas. We'll have literature to drop and the turfs should be easy walking with nearby addresses.

If you indicated an interest in door knocking and haven't gotten a call for this round, expect one soon; you're welcome to email [email protected] to RSVP for one or the other day. Bring a cellphone to install the MiniVAN app, which will let you sync progress data as you walk. (You can install this in advance, too.)

If you're interested in helping out with this effort but not up for the actual walking and knocking, we could use a few hands to bag the literature for the walkers. Meet at 5pm Wednesday at the Houghton Dems HQ, 323 Quincy Street in Hancock.

Debate Watch Party TONIGHT!

FOOD, DRINKS AND POLITICS

Join us tonight, Tuesday, September 10th for a Debate Watch Party at our HCDP headquarters at 323 Quincy Street in Hancock. As with our previous Watch Party we’ll be taking donations to support our local candidates. Suggested donation - $10. Coffee and snacks provided. BYOB.

PLEASE NOTE - THE “MAKE YOUR OWN SIGN EVENT” ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR TONIGHT IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR THIS SATURDAY (SEE THE NEXT ITEM)

Make Your Own Sign Party This Saturday

We've just gotten our first shipment of official Harris Walz signs, and they're flying out the door to the signups on our waiting list. More are coming, and you can sign up at the office for the next batch, but instead of waiting, how about if we helped you make your own?

This Saturday at 3 PM until about 5 or 6 PM (depending on interest!), we'll have stencils, signboards and paint for you to make a Harris Walz sign for your yard. Since we'll need a little bit more working space than our office affords us, we'll be setting up on the lawn at the Chair's house in Houghton. RSVP to [email protected] and he'll send you the address. Parking is available nearby.

On the Campaign Trail

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON THE ROAD THIS WEEK

Campaign updates for the Presidential campaigns -

Of course the Big Event for this week is tonight’s debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The debate will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and will begin at 9 PM. ABC will host, with moderators David Muir, host of ABC New's World News Tonight, and Prime Live anchor Linsey Davis. The debate will air live on ABC and can also be found on Disney+, Hulu and the ABC News Live streaming channel.

You can also join our Debate Watch Party starting at 8:30 PM (see item above).

NEWS FROM THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN

• The Harris campaign received two endorsements from prominent conservative Republicans last week. Both former Senator Liz Cheney, and her father the former VP Dick Cheney endorsed the campaign. They also called on fellow conservatives to vote for Harris in November. The Cheneys join a long list of prominent Republicans who have come out publicly to endorse the Harris Walz ticket.

• Gov. Tim Walz gave the keynote address to attendees of the National Dinner of the Human Rights Campaign. You can see the whole speech here.

• Kamala Harris stepped away from debate prep for a trip to a spice shop in Pittsburgh on Saturday. A video of the VP embracing a crying voter at the shop and reassuring her “we’re going to be good” went viral on social media.

• After kicking off in Palm Beach, Florida last Tuesday the “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour has continued through that state and into Georgia. The tour features Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others and is expected to make 50 stops in battleground states over the next two months.

TRUMP CONTINUES BEING TRUMP

• A pre-recorded “Town Hall” with Donald Trump aired on Fox last week, in two parts. On the segment that aired Wednesday he rambled on for over an hour, including telling voters “they have to” vote for him, and left no time for actual questions from the audience. On the second segment, aired Thursday, he answered scripted questions about the economy and border security. Not much new. In fact - same tired old playbook.

• On Friday he stepped in front of cameras shortly after appearing at an appeal of his sexual abuse verdict in the E. Jean Carroll case, and proceeded to bring up “a string of past allegations of other acts of sexual misconduct, potentially reminding voters of incidents that were little-known or forgotten.”

• At his rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin on Saturday Donald Trump derided his opponent, and President Biden. He said that the country is run by “stupid people” and that we “found that out at the debate with Joe (Biden).” He also talked up some famous allies, touting his endorsement by Robert Kennedy, Jr. and Elon Musk, who he called “Leon”, sparking more concern about his apparent mental decline.

• Before the rally Trump authored a wild post on his social media site threatening to jail perceived adversaries, including election officials. The threats continued into his remarks at the rally. The Wisconsin State Journal has the story.

• Despite these incidents, which would have severally wounded any other campaign, Trump somehow managed to achieve tighter poll results by the end of the week, with the New York Times / Sienna College poll released on Sunday showing the two candidates essentially tied.

Last Highway Clean Up Monday September 23

COME JOIN US FOR THE LAST HIGHWAY CLEAN UP OF 2024! 

The Houghton County Dems will be out again for the final highwaya clean up of the 2024 season as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. Our stretch of highway is M-26 from just past Goat Hill Rd heading out of Ripley, and on through to Dollar Bay.

We’ll get together to clean our stretch of highway on Monday, September 23rd at 5:30pm. (Rain Date is the Wednesday, September 25th). Parking is available at the Adopt-A-Highway sign just past Goat Hill Rd. We provide gloves, safety vests and bags. 

Please join us so we can continue this very worthwhile community service. Hope to see you there!

WHEN: Monday, September 23rd @ 5:30 PM

WHERE: Park along M-26 at the Adopt-A-Highway sign just past Goat Hill Road heading out of Ripley

If you’d like to volunteer to join the highway clean up crew contact Barb Turuc at [email protected] or leave a message at (906) 523-1233 

Kim Corcoran to Appear in Candidate Forum

LWV-COPPER COUNTY GOGEBIC RANGE UNIT TO HOST

In last week’s article about the Labor Day Picnic we noted that Kim Corcoran, our Democratic candidate for House District 110, told us about an upcoming debate between herself and her opponent, the incumbent Greg Markkanen.

Well, our apologies for using the wrong terminology - it’s not a debate but rather a candidate forum featuring both candidates. The forum will be hosted by the Gogebic Range Unit of the League of Women Voters - Copper Country. It will be held on Monday, September 30th at 7 PM. (A forum for candidates for Gogebic County Sheriff will come first at 5:30 PM.)

Word is that the event will be live streamed, but we don’t have confirmation yet. We’ll keep you posted.

Be a Nonpartisan Election Challenger or Poll Monitor with PTV!

The group Promote the Vote (PTV) is offering training and credentialing for individuals interested in being a nonpartisan election challenger or poll monitor.

As our eyes and ears on the ground, nonpartisan challengers and poll monitors are stationed at polling places, early voting sites, and absentee counting boards across Michigan to monitor the election process. Our pro-voter volunteers make sure eligible voters can cast their ballots, free from interference and voter intimidation. In the past, PTV’s volunteers have corrected improper election procedures at early voting sites and made sure polling places were accessible to voters of all mobilities.

Learn more and sign up for one of the many available remote training sessions on their event web page.

Our 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: October 2nd

Governmental & Community Meetings

TUE SEP 10

This month's regular meeting of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners is this afternoon at 4 PM in the Conference Room on the fifth floor of the Houghton County Courthouse. Find more information on the Board's webpage.

The Calumet Village Council meets in a Working Session tonight at 6 PM in the Village Council Chambers. Further information can be found on the Village website.

WED SEP 11

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Meeting Agenda can be found in the Searchable Document Center of the Council's website.

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 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