Weekly Recap: Former US Attorney General Eric Holder to Headline DPVA Civil Rights Panel, Trump-loyal Virginia Republicans take Pence Money, Healthcare on the line…
Upcoming DPVA Event! Barbara Johns Panel & Reception with Eric H. Holder Jr., 82nd Attorney General of the United States
Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, will headline the Democratic Party of Virginia 4th annual civil rights panel honoring the legacy of Virginia hero Barbara Rose Johns.
This yearly DPVA civil rights discussion convenes in honor of the historic life of Barbara Johns — who 68 years ago spearheaded the historic walkout of Robert Russa Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Her walkout in protest of unacceptable school conditions for African-American students helped lead to the seminal Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision that desegregated schools in the United States of America.
Attorney General Holder, as the Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Commission and one of the longest serving Attorneys General in United States history, will offer a unique perspective on the civil rights challenges still facing Americans 68 years after Barbara Johns led her walkout — including the abusive racial gerrymandering that exists here in Virginia and throughout the country.
This year’s panel will be hosted by the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia and moderated by State Senator Jennifer McClellan. The panel, which is free and open to the public, will be comprised of prominent activists and officials who will discuss the progress we have made as a Commonwealth and the work that remains.
Get your tickets today or learn more on the event page on our website!
*FREE TRAINING* Pat Jennings Project — April 6 in Blacksburg, VA. It’s not too late to sign up!
Are you interested in running for local office? Do you want to attend a *FREE* day-long training in Blacksburg on April 6 to learn about communications, field, digital organizing, and VAN from the DPVA and NDTC? Then look no further! This is an amazing, and cost free opportunity, for people who are interested in running for office to learn about the many different facets of a strong campaign.
What: DPVA Pat Jennings Project Training with the NDTC
When: April 6th, 2019 — All Day
Where: Virginia Tech
Hahn Hall North — Room 130
900 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24601
Click here to sign up for the Pat Jennings Project Training
We Stand with Donald Trump”: Trump-loyal Virginia Republicans “stand” with him on Affordable Care Act abolishment (DPVA)
Richmond, VA — Last night (Monday), hours after the Republican Party of Virginia declared that they “Stand with Donald Trump” and look forward to taking Mike Pence’s campaign money, Trump’s Justice Department moved to join the State of Texas in his effort to completely overturn the Affordable Care Act. The Trump Administration action, done hours after Virginia Republicans’ pronouncement of absolute fealty to the President, would not only put thousands of Virginias with pre-existing conditions at great risk, but also throw up to 400,000 Virginians who recently became eligible for healthcare through Medicaid Expansion back on the street with no care.
Virginia Republicans have made it clear they will “Stand with Donald Trump” and fight on his behalf. With Trump’s declaration of war against the ACA, Virginia Republicans have proclaimed that they are fighting to….
- End protections for millions of Virginians with pre-existing conditions.
- Kick Virginians, including vulnerable seniors and adult children currently covered through the ACA, off of their healthcare plans.
- Eliminate the Expansion of Medicaid in Virginia that provides healthcare to up to 400,000 Virginians who cannot afford it.
- Cripple rural hospitals already in financial turmoil as their costs would skyrocket, putting millions of Virginians further away from a place of care.
- And on and on and on….
“Right after Virginia Republicans’ pledged their allegiance to Donald Trump, Donald Trump pledged his allegiance to taking away healthcare from millions of Virginians by overturning the Affordable Care Act. We look forward to electing Democratic majorities in the House and Senate that will work to care for their constituents, not conspire with Donald Trump to leave them sick and helpless.” — DPVA Communications Director Jake Rubenstein
###
Mike’s Money: Pence to NOVA Wednesday to Raise Cash for Trump-Controlled Virginia Republicans (DPVA)
RICHMOND, Va — This Wednesday in Northern Virginia, Vice President Mike Pence will come to the Commonwealth to raise cash for Virginia GOP leaders in the General Assembly, making Virginia Republicans complete support for the destructive Trump-Pence agenda loud and clear.
It’s clear, now more than ever, that Virginia Republicans are all-in with Donald Trump and Mike Pence. They proudly stand shoulder to shoulder with a White House whose policies have done nothing but harm Virginia families.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence when it comes to insulting LGBT Americans simply because of whom they love.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence when it comes to their attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act, stripping access to health care and protections for pre-existing conditions for hundreds of thousands of Virginians.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence when it comes to their efforts to take away a woman’s right to make their own health decisions, or even dining with them.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence when it comes to disregarding research from scientists across the country, further ignoring the emerging threat of climate change.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence when it comes to ripping innocent children from the arms of their mothers and fathers at the border.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence when it comes to their tax scam giveaway to the rich, wealthy, and large corporations that skyrocket the national debt.
Virginia Republicans stand with Donald Trump and Mike Pence on these issues and so much more, making it clear that in Richmond they will proudly stand with the Trump-Pence agenda and its attacks on Virginia’s middle-class and the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable every step of the way.
DPVA Communications Direction Jake Rubenstein said the following regarding Mike Pence’s fundraising trip to Virginia, “We hope the money Mike Pence raises for Virginia Republicans is worth the shame of standing side by side with a Trump Administration that Virginians loudly rejected at the ballot box in 2017 and 2018. You take their money, you own their agenda. We are happy to run against Trump/Pence health care sabotage, Trump/Pence tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, Trump/Pence child separation, and Trump/Pence discrimination against women and the LGBT community this November. Game on.”
###
FREE: MobilizeAmerica Event and Volunteer Management Platform
The Virginia House Democratic Caucus, Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, and the Democratic Party of Virginia have teamed up with MobilizeAmerica to provide local and CD committees the event and volunteer management platform at no cost.
MobilizeAmerica can help maximize your field and digital programs, all while saving you time and energy.
Why use MobilizeAmerica?
- Recruit more shifts: Mobilize allows you to customize an events feed with easy to share event links where volunteers can search and sign up for your campaign events.
- Collaborate: Hundreds of other progressive organizations around the country are using the MobilizeAmerica platform, and their volunteers are always looking for organizations to volunteer with. Our platform allows you to collaborate and connect with them to tap into new volunteer audiences every day.
- Automatic Confirmations: MobilizeAmerica sends out automated confirmation emails and SMS texts to volunteers registered for an event. On average campaigns using MobilizeAmerica see a 30% decrease in flake rate.
Interested? Fill out this form and the MobilizeAmerica team will create your account, and will be in touch with next steps! We will also be holding a training on Thursday, March 14th with Mobilize staff to walk through how to use the Mobilize dashboard! To sign up for the training, email katie@vademocrats.org.
https://onboarding.mobilizeamerica.io/vadems-stateleg
Deadline to Register Approaching: 2019 Train the Trainer Program!
The Virginia Democratic Party, together with the DNC and ASDC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our 2019 Train the Trainer (T3) Webinar Training Program!
T3 is a free six-week, twelve-part webinar course, covering all aspects of grassroots campaigning. This program seeks to expand the skills of progressive activists and volunteers, by ensuring that comprehensive training is free and accessible for Democrats all over the country. Register for T3 today, and help us take our country back in 2020!
T3 trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET, from April 16, through May 23. The deadline to register is Sunday, April 14 at 12:00 a.m. ET.
Participants must complete all twelve sessions in order to receive certification. All training sessions will include a skills test to track retention and participation. Trainings will be recorded and made available following each session via a weekly wrap-up email, delivered on Fridays.
CLICK HERE to submit your registration for the 2019 T3 Training Program! Registration will close at 12:00 a.m. ET, on Sunday, April 14.
Virginia Voters with Disabilities Expo — April 30
Democrats’ 2020 nominating fight turns in the GOP-run South (AP News)
When the top lieutenant to a presidential contender phoned Georgia Democratic Party chairwoman Nikema Williams recently to ask for a one-on-one meeting, Williams declined.
“I’m sorry, but I talk to candidates; I don’t talk to surrogates,” she said, recalling the conversation in an interview.
Williams got what she wanted. By her count, she’s had conversations with at least nine Democrats seeking the party’s 2020 presidential nomination, and she expects the number to climb.
That kind of attention is a testament to the growing influence that Georgia and the rest of the South has in presidential politics, beyond the first-in-the-South primary state of South Carolina.
It starts with the hundreds of delegates at stake — about a third of what’s required to win the nomination — in primaries that will quickly play out from Virginia to Texas in the weeks after the traditional early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina being the process. And with a significant black population and diversifying metro areas in many Southern states, the region is testing ground for candidates to demonstrate whether they can build the type of diverse coalition any Democratic nominee would need to defeat President Donald Trump.
“We’re going to be right in the thick of it,” Williams said.
Sen. Kamala Harris of California will be in Atlanta this weekend and has raised money from friends in the city since she first sought local office. Several candidates have been in Louisiana for recent national political conferences and to Selma, Alabama, for a commemoration of the 1965 voting rights march. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts took a multiday swing through Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama this week following a trip to Georgia in February.
Meanwhile, Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota have ventured to Plains, Georgia, to sit down with Jimmy Carter, the 94-year-old former president who’d been all but forgotten in Democratic politics. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has campaigned for political allies in Alabama and Mississippi since his last presidential run in 2016, and he’s expected to return.
The South is still mostly Republican-controlled, with Democrats in the governor’s mansion of just three states: Virginia, North Carolina and Louisiana. Democrats Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum grabbed the national spotlight but came up short last fall in their bids to win governors’ races in Georgia and Florida, respectively. And a rejection this week of a proposed tax hike to extend mass transit into suburban Atlanta was another reminder of the hurdles still facing progressives in the region.
Southern Democrats welcome the interactions with presidential candidates and say they’ve earned it based on previous cycles: Barack Obama’s early delegate lead in 2008 and Hillary Clinton’s eventual winning margin in 2016 were built from wins across the region. But now, Southerners are seeing the candidates earlier in the process.
Warren’s visit “shows that she cares about all Americans and not just those whose vote matters” in the Electoral College, said Valerie Latawiec, a 52-year-old Alabamian who was one of about 500 people who attended the senator’s rally in Birmingham, Alabama.
The trend highlights African-Americans’ influence in Democratic politics, with black voters likely being a majority of primary voters in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and large portions in Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The primary already includes two black candidates — Harris and Booker — and could feature a third if Abrams decides to get in the race. And all the candidates, regardless of race, are working to tie their discussions of many issues, from reparations for the descendants of African slaves and criminal justice overhaul to environmental justice and health care access, to the black community.
But Bobby Moak, the chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, also emphasized that the region’s makeup, even in heavily Republican states like his, gives candidates a chance to craft appeals that cross racial, ethnic and philosophical lines.
“It’s important for them to hear us and for us to hear them,” Moak said.
Certainly, there are strategic complexities for candidates to weigh as they decide where to spend their time.
California has as many delegates at stake as Georgia, Florida and Virginia combined. And with early voting and Harris enjoying a possible home-state advantage, some candidates may decide to spend more time there.
Sanders, for instance, kicks off a series of California rallies this weekend and considers the state vital to his prospects.
For now, Georgia may be the biggest Southern counter to California. It offers more than 100 delegates, a diverse electorate and the deep donor pool of metro Atlanta. Texas and Virginia also are wellsprings of money and votes. But Texas has two local candidates: Julian Castro, a Cabinet member in the Obama administration, and Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman.
“I’m telling them all to come,” says state Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, “but if they’re still in the race (on the March 3rd Super Tuesday), I think Beto and Julian will dominate Texas.”
Virginia could add its own local favorite, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, but more importantly, the state is still reeling after its Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, admitted wearing blackface as a young man and after sexual assault allegations against Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who denies wrongdoing.
Nearly all the 2020 contenders — including McAuliffe — have called on Northam and Fairfax to step down, but state party chairwoman Susan Swecker said that shouldn’t stop them from coming to the state.
“Ignore Virginia Democrats at your peril,” she said, noting that the state has become part of Democrats’ presumed path to 270 electoral votes.
“And if they can’t handle questions” about controversial topics, Swecker added, “then they shouldn’t be our nominee.”
Upcoming Events
To get your event added to the DPVA website and the newsletter, email digital@vademocrats.org with event details!
- 3/28 Middlesex VA Democratic Committee Meeting
- 3/28 Newport News Democrats March Meeting
- 3/28 Rockbridge County Democratic Committee meeting
- 3/30 Hampton Roads Young Democrats Happy Hour!
- 4/4 VB Young Democrats Meetup
- 4/5 Chesterfield YD’s go to Virginia Young Democrats Convention
- 4/5: VAYD: Annual Convention
- 4/6 DPVA Pat Jennings Project Training with the NDTC
- 4/8 Harrisonburg Democratic Committee Meeting
- 4/8 YPDC April Monthly Meeting
- 4/10 April 2019 Hunter Mill Democrats Meeting
- 4/10 Hunter Mill District Democratic School Board Candidate Forum
- 4/11 Springfield Democrats April Meeting
- 4/11 Poquoson Democrats Monthly Supper
- 4/13 Caroline County Democratic Committee
- 4/13 Hunter Mill Democrats 44th Annual Lasagna Dinner
- 4/14 Fluvanna County Democratic Committee Spring into Action!
- 4/17 Democratic Women’s Club of Coastal Virginia Luncheon
- 4/18 Fairfax Young Democrats General Meeting
- 4/25 Middlesex VA Democratic Committee Meeting
- 4/29 Hunter Mill District Supervisor Democratic Candidate Forum
- 5/5 11th Congressional District’s 19th Annual John N. Sturdivant Award Brunch
- 5/5 Springfield Democrats 2019 Candidate Forum
- 5/8 Hunter Mill Democrats Meeting
- 5/8 Hunter Mill Democrat’s School Board Endorsement Meeting
- 5/9 Springfield Democrats May Meeting
- 5/11 Caroline County Democratic Committee
- 5/13 Harrisonburg Democratic Committee Meeting
- 5/23 Fairfax Young Democrats Annual Meeting
- 5/23 Middlesex VA Democratic Committee Meeting
- 6/2 Norfolk Democrats Annual Cookout
- 6/8 Caroline County Democratic Committee
- 6/10 Harrisonburg Democratic Committee Meeting
- 6/11 Arlington Democratic Primary
- 6/12 Hunter Mill Democrats Meeting
- 6/15 Virginia Democratic Women’s Caucus Annual Meeting
- 6/15 2019 BLUE COMMONWEALTH GALA
- 6/27 Middlesex VA Democratic Committee Meeting
