Election 2008
This
November’s election will be the most historic and exciting
contest this nation has seen in generations. It marks the first
time since 1952 that neither party’s ticket will feature
an incumbent President or Vice President. It is also a sure thing
that our party will nominate either the first woman or the first
African American to be President of the United States! The primary
season has already been exciting and energizing, particularly
for the Democratic Party. In every state that has held a primary
or caucus so far, Democratic turnout has greatly exceeded that
of the other party’s. In the traditionally red state of
Virginia, twice as many Democrats voted as did Republicans! In
addition to the Presidential race, control of Congress is at stake,
with Democrats defending our new majorities in the U.S. House
and Senate. In Kansas, every State House and State Senate seat
will be up for election, as will many county-level offices.
For Democrats, 2008 holds a great promise to expand on our 2006
victories. Sedgwick County Democrats are urged to get engaged
and involved with their local county party now, so that they can
learn the latest about our candidates and how to help get them
elected. There’s no question that this is going to be a
historic campaign year. The only question is if you will be part
of making history. Call Democratic HQ at 262-7534 today and you
will be!!
Get to
Know Your Presidential Candidates
As Democrats, we have been very fortunate to have a talented
and diverse field of candidates running for our nation’s
highest office. Throughout the primary season, political commentators
frequently remarked that our field of eight candidates has been
the most impressive Democratic slate in decades. Opinions polls
have shown over and over that Democrats have been more satisfied
with our field of candidates and are more excited about supporting
them than the other party. Additionally, crowds in early primary
states for Democratic Presidential contenders have been much larger
than crowds for the GOP, and turnout everywhere has been higher
than ever. Now that the nomination is down to just two candidates,
we encourage you to carefully deliberate which person you think
would best be able to lead our country. Regardless of
who ultimately wins, both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama will
be able to deliver change this November!
Want to Show off Your
Support?
The Sedgwick County Democratic Headquarters now has buttons and
bumper stickers for both Clinton and Obama. We are selling them
for $2 each so that we can replenish our supplies of these coveted
campaign items. Our office is located at 1064 N. Waco, on the
corner of 10th & Waco and is open Monday-Friday from 9:00
a.m.-5:00 p.m. If you are looking for t-shirts, yard signs, or
other campaign items, a great place to get these is at The DemStore.
Their web address is www.demstore.com.
The Democratic National
Convention and Delegate Selection
Every four years, the national parties gather to officially
choose their nominees for President and Vice President. In 2008,
Democrats will converge upon the city of Denver, Colorado from
August 25-28 for this occasion. The convention promises to be
a grand event and a chance for Democrats to show America our vision
for the future.
The race for the Democratic nomination will ultimately be determined
by who wins the most delegates. Kansas Democrats will be sending
a total of 41 delegates and 5 alternates to the national convention
in Denver. Of these, 9 are super delegates, while 32 delegates
and all 5 alternates are pledged to candidates based on the results
of our Feb. 5 caucuses. Statewide, Barack Obama won 15 delegates,
while Hillary Clinton received 6.
On Saturday, April 12, at 2:00 p.m. people who were
elected to be district level delegates at the caucuses will gather
to elect many of the people who will go to Denver. The
4th Congressional District Delegate Convention will be held at
the Machinist Lodge, located at 3830 S. Meridian Ave. There, 3
Obama delegates and 1 Clinton will be elected, along with one
alternate delegate for Obama.
Later, on Saturday, May 17, the State Delegate Convention
will be held in Topeka to select the remaining delegates. Members
of the KS Democratic State Committee will elect 8 Obama delegates
and 3 delegates for Clinton. Anyone wishing to be a delegate for
either candidate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver
will need to fill out and file a form with the state party. This
form, along with answers to many of the questions you may have
about the delegate selection process and how to become a delegate
can be found at http://www.ksdp.org/delegateselection
. You can also call the Kansas Democratic Party at 785-234-0425
with any questions you have about this process.
What’s a Stake
Locally in 2008?
The Sedgwick County Democratic Party is hard at work identifying
and recruiting candidates to run for various positions in 2008.
A strong party fields candidates to run for every available position
on the ballot, and we intend to let no Republican running for
the state legislature or for a county courthouse office go unchallenged.
Already, we have talked to a number of interested, enthusiastic
Democrats about possible races next year.
Candidate recruitment is a team effort, and we need your help
to fill the 2008 Sedgwick County Democratic ticket. Have
you ever thought about running for office? You should!
Do you have a friend, relative, or colleague who
would make an outstanding public servant? Ask them to
be a candidate! We must start now if we are to win in November
2008. Candidates who start fundraising and organizing early have
a much greater chance of winning. The following positions will
be on the 2008 ballot:
• The U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Pat Roberts
• The U.S. House seat held by Rep. Todd Tiahrt
• 8 State Senate Seats, Districts 25-32
• 22 State Representative Seats, Districts 81-100 &
103 and 105
• 18 18th Judicial District Judges, Divisions 1, 2, 3,
6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, & 20-26
• 18th Judicial District Attorney
• 2 State Board of Education seats, Districts 8 and 10
• 2 Sedgwick County Commission Seats, Districts 2 and
3
• Sedgwick County Clerk
• Sedgwick County Register of Deeds
• Sedgwick County Treasurer
• Sedgwick County Sheriff
Democratic incumbents already occupy many of the above positions,
but many more need Democratic challengers! To find a complete
list of all elected officials and party affiliation, visit www.sedgwickcounty.org/elections
. If you or someone you know is interested in possibly
running for public office, call Jason Dilts at 262-7534.
Working together, we will fill the ballot with quality, qualified
Democrats to run in 2008!
The Election Process:
Important Dates in 2008
This year’s elections are essentially take place in three
separate phases: the Presidential Primary Caucus, which were held
on February 5, the statewide Primary Election in August, and the
statewide General Election in November. It is extremely important
for Democrats participate in each of these elections.
The Statewide Primary Election will be held on Tuesday,
August 5, 2008. The nominee for both parties of all offices on
the ballot other than President will be chosen that day.
In Kansas, registered Democrats and voters who are unaffiliated
may vote in the Democratic Primary. These elections are usually
low turnout, but it’s vital for Democrats to show up and
vote. There will be several contested primaries in the Sedgwick
County area this year! We can’t win in November if we don’t
have strong candidates to face off against the GOP. Also, the
more Democrats who show up to vote in the primary, the more representation
local Democrats get on the state party’s committees.
The Statewide General Election will be held on Tuesday,
November 4, 2008. Voters across Kansas and the nation
will select a new President, vote for who they want their U.S.
Congressperson and U.S. Senator to be, as well as elect state
legislators and county officials. This will be a very important
day in our nation’s history, and we hope you will join us
on the journey to get to this date!
