How to Run for Local Office Guide

​So, you’re considering a run for local office? That’s so exciting. Local officials have the power to transform their communities for the better. In this guide, we’ll go over the basics that you need to know in order to field a successful campaign. When you’re ready to dive deeper on a topic, we’ve linked to resources that can give you a more robust understanding. We’ve also created a Campaign HQ page that has upto-date resources. We’re here for you. Let’s get started!
2019
It’s going to be a
​very big year!!
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Monthly Meeting

4rd Thursday,
May 23, 7 PM
Dial a Ride
Program: 

Election Highlights

Election Reflections
By Rick Schrock

The 2018 election is over. Now it is time to reflect on our successes, our failures, our opportunities, and let those reflections shape our approach to 2020.
Our greatest success was restoring checks and balance to our political systems. We can now block the most damaging of the Republican policies. We can hope that political balance will lead to governance by finding common ground and working together. Time will tell if Republicans are
interested in working together. My hope is that Democrats will lead by example to cross the aisle for common sense policies.

The State of Michigan government will change significantly. Last month the GOP owned every branch of state government. The 2018 election changed everything. The Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General shifted to the Democrats. This team is all women and exceptional women. It is a spectacular team. From legislation to voting rights to consumer advocacy, we will see
a shift that will favor working people.

The state legislature is still controlled by the GOP in both houses even though Democrats received the most votes overall. The Gerrymandering by the Republicans was skillfully done and highly successful. The passage of Proposition 2 and a Democratic Governor should bring an bring an end
to this kind of election rigging.

The Michigan Supreme Court will shift more to the center. The 5-2 court was dominated by Republican supported Justices. That now shifts to 4-3. Two of the Republicans are willing to go against popular GOP thinking at times. I expect to see a more centrist court than we have seen in the past.

At the national level the Democrats gained control of the House. The Senate will be controlled by the Republicans but the margin is very small. Finally we will see some checks and balance in Washington DC.

We have a lot of good news. We need to celebrate. But we also need to step up to the bad news. Manistee County has traditionally reflected state and national trends. We supported Obama, Grandholm, Levin, Stabenow, and other in the past. This year was different. In 2018 the Democrats
carried the statewide offices, but without the majority of Manistee County voters. Our State Rep candidate and our US Rep candidates did not carry Manistee County. This year Manistee County shifted from leaning blue to being a solid red county.

It is easy to observe that all across the US rural areas are voting more and more with the GOP. Urban areas are voting more Democratic. We are rural. There is a temptation to think Manistee County voting more Republican is just inevitable. We are tempted to think we are helpless victims of a national trend. I believe that would be a mistake. Our challenge is to run the right candidates, promote key issues we have in common, and organize to get our voters to the polls.

How do we earn the votes of rural voters? That is the question we must ask over the next year. Can moderates win anymore? Can a candidate run on character rather than
policy? Do we need candidates who are bold leaders? We are not helpless. In a year of
many Democratic successes Manistee County fell short. This happened all across the
country in rural counties. Our challenge is for 2020 is for Democrats to reconnect with rural voters

Comment

Well, it’s official now. Manistee County has flipped from being a fairly solid Democratic county to a solid Republican county. Interestingly enough, the breakdown fairly mirrors the breakdown nationally with the more rural areas being Republican and the towns more Democratic.
 
If we look at it, the demographic details look a lot like typical Trump voters. Our area is older, whiter, less educated and lower income than average. And although I don’t have figures on this, I would suspect that the “town dwellers” in Manistee County are younger, more diverse, better educated and higher income than the county averages.
 
Also, we can surmise that the Trump voters are more susceptible to the fear, uncertainty and doubt message that the Republicans so adroitly used.  They, for the most part, are not overtly racist, and can vote for a tamed John James but the idea of an uppity Maxine Waters is scary. They can be resentful of “them” but the systemic racism of the Republicans falls outside of their purview. LGBYQ issues are overblown and don’t apply to them unless they have a close relative who is gay. The idea of an invasion of “aliens” is real and is seen in terms of what would 10,000 “strangers” look like in their small community not that 10,000 aliens represents .00028% of the US population. The idea of urban interests overwhelming the rural interests certainly trumps the idea of 1 person 1 vote. (The reapportionment proposal got a surprising number of no votes.) We know this feeling first hand. There has always been the idea that SE Michigan ruled the state and outstate and UP interests got lost in the shuffle.
 
What does all this mean? It means that election of representatives looks bleak in the near future. The best that we can do is to work in our communities to make sure that our values are represented and that our issues are dealt with. The fact that the election is mainly a cultural affair still leaves a lot of room for progress in specific issues. The most hateful people still need health care, their kids need to be educated, their water needs to be drinkable and the road drivable. Let’s keep working on that.
 
 
Lee Trucks

Revision of
​Local Party ByLaws

Click HERE to see Local Party Bylaws.

Lil' Big Shots Coming UP

Manistee County Lil' Big Shots
Talent Show
July 6, 2019
On Stage at the
​Manistee National Forest Festival
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

​Comments from the Chair

With the mid terms behind us and some results yet to be decided in the coming weeks, it has become clear that the Democratic Party has indeed achieved a blue wave. We have taken control of the House and are now in a good position to check the Trump Administration on key issues. Additionally, we have demonstrated in three key states, Texas, Florida, and Georgia that we are serious contenders come 2020. Key issues such as redistricting and voter access initiatives were passed in many states, further
strengthening our future prospects. The party also took seven state governorships. So, overall, things are looking up for the NDP.

These successes were especially noteworthy here in Michigan where our ticket almost
unanimously prevailed. We gained the governorship and added seats in both the house and senate. We also saw Debbie Stabenow win reelection. Locally, of course we did not do well, failing to elect Matt Morgan, Kathy Wiejaczka, or Mike Taillard. These losses were very disappointing, especially for those who gave so much effort to those campaigns. As a local party, we also invested our resources heavily in those campaigns. These losses underscore the fact that our county is now solidly Republican. So, locally, the elections were a mixed bag.

So now we have to set our sights on 2020 and making sure we do our part in scoring
another victory in the push to take back our country from the far right Republican
Party. Broadly speaking we will use the next two years to build up our resources. We will
plan fund raising events to make sure we can adequately support candidates, and continue
to build our membership. We will use these resources to develop a winning strategy at the
county level. On Saturday, November 17 at 10:00a.m. at our office on River Street we
will have our annual convention, election of officers, and monthly membership
meeting, our last of the year. At that time we will be discussing what we need to do over
the next two years to reverse our fortunes in Manistee County and how we can support the
State and National Democratic Party. We will also discuss the past year and try to identify
what worked and what didn’t work as well as plan events for the coming year. Please join
us! We need everyone’s input if we are to improve our success as a local party. Come
join your fellow Democrats and help develop a winning county strategy. See you there!
​
​     Gary Madden

​My Deepest Thanks –
​Kathy Wiejaczka


When I entered this race, I did so with a vision of putting people first – before profits, before greed, before hate. That’s why I chose “people first for the 101st” as our campaign motto. I hoped for the opportunity to represent the people of this district with integrity and to
take our message of hope, love, and service to others to Lansing. While I am sorry that I will not get that opportunity, I have no regrets.
I met beautiful people that were kind, considerate, and honorable no matter their political party. 

Though we have lost the race, I hope you will join me and continue fighting for the good in this world, for a better society, for a
government we’re proud of that demonstrates transparency. I am not done and I hope you aren’t either. Join me in holding Lansing
accountable for the decisions that impact our lives, our families, and our livelihood.

I give the deepest, deepest thanks to our amazingly dedicated supporters and volunteers, our hundreds of donors, our friends, family and every voter who stood behind us. Your voice matters and the fight isn’t over.

People first!
​

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