Well, the past month has been quite a rollercoaster – and the ride’s not over yet!
This past Sunday, July 21, saw the nomination of two new candidates in Waldo County, and the departure of President Joe Biden from the presidential race. President Biden, the most accomplished president and political leader of our time, stepped down and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place as the Democratic nominee. Soon, the party’s democratic process will lead to a final decision on that question – the naming of a candidate that the party will unify behind and elect to be President this November.
All of this took place just hours before our monthly meeting. As Chair Sara Salley said, the past few weeks have been challenging for us as the party debated the best way forward. But what we all agree on is that the best hope for our country is to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. If we are unified and work hard, we CAN and WILL win against Trump at the national level and against MAGA extremists at the local level. Let’s stay focused and determined through all the drama on what really matters – electing great Democratic leaders for our county, state, and nation.
Since then, the party has united behind VP Kamala Harris and the excitement is off the charts! New volunteers are signing up with WCDC, our Kamala Harris tea towels have become a hot item, and the Maine delegates to the National Democratic Convention have unanimously endorsed Kamala Harris for President. One of the best ways to help elect Kamala in Maine is to donate to the Maine Democratic Party, which supports the Harris campaign as well as all our local candidates.
Campaign Updates. Several candidates and volunteer leaders updated us on local campaigns. Mike Ray (House District 40) is recruiting drivers to help him knock on doors (sign up online for a shift with Mike) and attending events all over the district. Sen. Chip Curry’s campaign organizer Jess Bailey let us know about opportunities to visit with voters on weekend canvasses (sign up for a canvass for Chip). Rep. Jan Dodge is also working hard in her district to meet her voters; you can help by reaching out to jan.dodge@yahoo.com. Scott Cuddy’s campaign in House District 37 is also very busy getting signs ready and knocking on doors (sign up to be Scott’s co-pilot).
Local Committee Activities. The Prospect, Searsport, Stockton Springs (PSSS) Committee had a table at Searsport 4th of July parade with candidates Chip Curry, Scott Cuddy and Alan Cohen. They’re also looking into hosting a meeting on effective methods for talking to voters with different views and backgrounds. Resources are available on our Every Conversation Counts page, including a new report on evidence-based approaches for talking about Democratic issues in rural areas.
WCDC Office. The Belfast office has been closed for the past week out of respect for those affected by the shooting at the rally in Pennsylvania. We’ll re-open this Wednesday, July 24, and remain open for our regular hours going forward (Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 10am to 4pm). The door may be locked for security reasons, so when you visit please knock on the door and state your business to the office volunteer, if they don’t already know you. Just don’t let that stop you from stopping by to sign up to volunteer, pick up yard signs and campaign swag (including Kamala Harris tea towels), and learn more about our local candidates and their campaigns – we’d love to see you.
House District 38 Candidate. Immediately before the WCDC meeting, county committee leaders hosted a caucus of Democrats in House District 38 to select a new candidate for the ballot for the district’s seat in the Maine House (serving Brooks, part of Frankfort, Jackson, Knox, Monroe, Swanville, Thorndike, Unity, and Waldo). We’re very happy to announce that Stephen Ellis of Waldo was nominated to be the party’s candidate! He will replace primary candidate Eileen Ellis (no relation) who had to withdraw for personal reasons. Congratulations to Steve – he has our heartfelt gratitude for stepping up to serve, even though he hadn’t planned to run for this office. Thank you also to Valerie Tate for all her hard work to recruit a candidate and to the Maine Dems and House Democratic Campaign Committee for their efforts. You’ll see more information about Steve and his campaign very soon. In the meantime, you can email him at ellisforhouse38@gmail.com or call him at 646-763-0108.
County Treasurer Nomination. WCDC was very pleased to hold a county-level caucus during our meeting to nominate Owen Smith for Waldo County Treasurer. Owen is currently serving in the position and received a unanimous vote in support of his nomination. He will be on the November ballot to serve through 2026. Congratulations, Owen, and thank you for serving!
Pie Sale. Pie bakers and pie lovers are invited to volunteer to support the WCDC Pie Sale at the Belfast Street Party on Monday, August 5, from 5pm to 9pm. If you can bake one or more pies, please reach out to Midge Browning at midgebrowning3@gmail.com or 207-230-9102. We also need a few more volunteers to help set up for the event and clean up afterwards.
DEIB. The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging Committee chaired by Laura Baker had to postpone their meeting due to our county committee meeting being rescheduled. If you want to participate in the meeting, contact Laura at fairtradebaker@gmail.com to find out more.
Campaign Committee. The Campaign Committee, under the leadership of Chair Valerie Tate helped to recruit candidates and organize the House District 38 nominating caucus. It is also working to collect needed data on local elections. The committee meets on the 3rd Wednesday at 5:30pm on Zoom. More info is available on our Calendar page.
WCDC Elections. WCDC elected members to serve in two important state party positions. Bernie Baker of Belfast was elected to be Chair’s Alternate, to be a voting member of the Democratic State Committee on occasions when the County Chair is absent. Betty Johnson was elected to be our representative to the state party’s Rules Committee, which makes and evaluates proposals to amend the Charter and provides guidance on interpreting the Charter. Congratulations to both Bernie and Betty and thank you for serving your local Democrats at the state level!
Next Meeting. Our next monthly meeting will be Sunday, August 11, at 2pm in person at Mermaid Plaza, 1 East Main in Searsport, or on Zoom (preregister here). Our guest speaker will be Phoebe Dolan, co-founder of Maine Youth Power.
End-of-Summer Picnic. Save the date – our End of Summer Picnic will be Sunday, September 8, noon-3pm, at the Mermaid Plaza in Searsport, outside on the decks overlooking the stream, or inside in case of rain. We’ll have live music and a potluck lunch, along with special guest speakers.
Please make a $5 qualifying contribution to help your legislative candidates receive the maximum amount of public campaign funds through Clean Elections.
- Steve Ellis, our new candidate for House District 38 has a short time to collect enough QCs to qualify – if you live in Brooks, the western part of Frankfort, Jackson, Knox, Monroe, Swanville, Thorndike, Unity, or Waldo, please be sure to make a $5 donation or contact him for more info.