Updates

Election Protection Saves Votes

December 10, 2016

By Barbara Altman

On November 8, Tenth Dems deployed more than 100 lawyers to polling places across the 10^th District to help ensure that Election Day went smoothly and that all entitled to vote were permitted to do so. Each team member received a detailed manual and training that highlighted the issues most likely to arise and then was assigned precincts to visit on Election Day. Entering polling places as poll watchers, these lawyers served the critical function of monitoring the activity at targeted locations to make sure that lines were moving smoothly, rules against electioneering were being enforced, and voters were not given provisional ballots when they were entitled to vote a regular ballot, among other things.

Tenth Dems lead election protection lawyers, including those who drafted the manual and facilitated the training, spent Election Day in law offices made available to serve as election protection headquarters. From there, they supported the team in the field by answering questions and, when appropriate, conveying concerns to the Cook and Lake County Clerks’ offices. The headquarters group also redeployed lawyers to trouble spots as they became aware of the need. An incident log prepared in in election protection headquarters documents how critical these efforts were to the success of Democratic candidates across the 10^th District. Just as the experience of the election protection team in 2014 helped leaders target polling places for 2016, the 2016 log will be an important tool for organizing the election protection effort in 2018.

The headquarters team committee also staffed a Voter Assistance Hotline, directly speaking to voters who wanted to know where to go to vote, whether they were registered, and what documentation they needed to same-day register and vote, among other things.

Tenth Dems has already received requests for help replicating this election protection effort in other districts and states.

More Than 200 Attend Lively Post-Election Forum

December 9, 2016

Newsletter Articles, Updates

By Nancy Krent

On Monday evening, November 21, more than two hundred people gathered at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest to participate in the Tenth Dems open forum on the 2016 election. Tenth Dems Founding Chair Lauren Beth Gash opened the meeting by noting that, locally, Election Day was an overwhelming success for the people of the 10th District. In addition to Brad Schneider’s win in the Congressional race, the 10th kept all its incumbent Democrats, picked up the Lake County Circuit Court Clerk’s seat and helped Tammy Duckworth and Susana Mendoza win statewide. However, that stood in sharp contrast to the scary, shocking rightward pull seen in so many areas of the country with the election of Donald Trump. As Lauren noted, all of us are still trying to come to grips with the defeat of Hillary Clinton and what that means for Democrats and for the country. The purpose of the meeting was therefore to m postelection4 ourn, to celebrate, and to plan how to move forward.

For the next two hours, person after person lined up for the microphone and patiently waited their turn to share their concerns, their frustrations, and their suggestions for action. Four of Tenth Dems’ leaders—Managing Vice-Chair and newsletter editor Barbara Altman, Communications Director Eric Herman, and Leadership Committee members Nancy Krent and Laurence Schiller joined Lauren on stage and occasionally engaged with the speakers on the floor by elaborating upon an issue or answering a question.

The conversation was free-ranging. Multiple people spoke about the need to engage younger voters and others who feel disenfranchised. Several speakers mentioned looking for ways to bring young Democrats together, and volunteers are being solicited to reinvigorate the Young Tenth Dems to focus on this goal.

A number of speakers addressed national concerns, such as voter suppression, Trump’s expected Cabinet picks and ethics issues, and attacks on progressive legislation and programs, such as the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Among the suggestions for action were letter-writing and educational campaigns, lobbying efforts, partnering with affinity groups, and working to make our voices heard nationally.

One key issue was the Electoral College. Some speakers talked about efforts to change or abolish the Electoral College, and others wanted to work on studying the issue more fully.

Others spoke about the need to prepare for upcoming elections, including the municipal elections in 2017 and the mid-terms and gubernatorial elections in 2018. Building and strengthening precinct committee structures, helping with canvassing and organizing, and encouraging and raising support for candidates were some of the suggestions that speakers shared. Additionally, people suggested reaching out to other states, and other areas of Illinois, where local Democrats may need our support to strengthen their organizing efforts.

Several people talked about the presidential campaign, and discussed some of the factors that may have led to Hillary’s defeat. Many thought that it was important to study the election so that we could learn from what went wrong to help us build stronger, more successful campaigns going forward.

In all, dozens of people took the mic to voice their individual thoughts, concerns, and suggestions over the course of nearly two hours, and many more signed up to volunteer to put ideas into action.

Tenth Dems plans to host additional, smaller conversations in the coming months, across the 10^th District, to talk more about the ideas that have been generated, to seek additional ideas, and to implement action plans. Find out more at TenthDems.org, and if you are interested in volunteering, you can do so at volunteer@tenthdems.org.

The Way Forward: Do Something!

December 7, 2016

Newsletter Articles, Updates

By Barbara Altman, Editor

It’s barely two weeks after the election, and my stomach won’t settle down. The punch in the gut from the Electoral College results has subsided to a constant low-grade indigestion. Instead of feeling well-earned elation from Brad’s, Tammy’s, Susana’s, and others’ hard-won victories, I’m feeling despair about the future.

Nothing that the incoming administration has announced to date is alleviating those feelings. We’re contemplating an opponent of strengthening the Voting Rights Act, with a record of racist rhetoric, as Attorney General, an Islamophobic hawk with ties to Putin as National Security Advisor, a promoter of White Nationalist ideas as a special advisor, and an unprecedented merger of family, business, and government to a degree that takes concerns about conflicts of interest to a whole new level. As someone very near and dear to me put it, Trump appears prepared to drain the swamp straight into his own pockets.

What to do?

Hoping for the best is not an option. For the good of our world, our nation, our communities, our families, and ourselves, we must take action. Here are my suggestions, in no particular order. (In a post-election conversation on November 21, these suggestions, and many others, were discussed by more than 200 deeply concerned residents of the 10^th Congressional District. A report of that conversation can be found on p. __.)

Join Tenth Dems and become an active volunteer. There is power – and there is solace – in teaming up with like-minded people who share a common goal.
Donate to organizations that work for what you believe in. Whether your concerns are the environment, Social Security, Medicare, women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, gun violence prevention, voting rights, or all of the above, there are organizations that will use your money to promote your beliefs. And that includes Tenth Dems.
Make your voice heard by your elected officials. Write to legislators. Call their offices. And don’t limit yourself to communicating with Democrats. Yes, strengthen the resolve of Democrats to stand up for their values. Then spend an equal amount of energy telling Republicans how strongly you disagree with what they’re planning to do. Write letters. Make phone calls. Then do it again.
Participate in peaceful demonstrations. History shows that protests can move policy. Stand up for what you believe in.
Listen, learn, and speak out. As difficult as it may be for those of us privileged to live in Chicagoland, we need to listen to those we disagree with. Yes, continue to watch MSNBC and CNN. But tune into Fox News often enough to know what that network’s millions of viewers are hearing. Listen respectfully to opposing viewpoints and try to find common ground. But if someone repeats untruths or maligns other people, whether individually or as groups, respectfully call them out. And read enough so that when you do call people out, you know what you’re talking about.
Stay engaged in the political process. Many of us worked our hearts out over the last weeks and months to help elect Democrats up and down the ticket. It was not in vain. We made a difference. Our district voted overwhelmingly for nearly all of our candidates. We must continue this effort, through the 2017 municipal elections (today’s mayors are tomorrow’s statewide or national leaders), and on to the 2018 congressional and gubernatorial elections.

Dems in 10th District Buck National Trend with Victories Up and Down the Ballot

December 5, 2016

Newsletter Articles, Updates

By Eric Herman and Roger Baron

While the national results did not turn out the way we would’ve wanted, local Democrats avoided the same fate. In one of the most closely-watched districts in the entire country, Democrats flipped the Republican-controlled 10th Congressional District seat from red to blue. The 10th District includes most of Lake County and parts of suburban Cook County. We also did our part to help elect statewide Democratic candidates, and we stood up to billionaire Republican Governor Bruce Rauner’s financial onslaught in state legislative contests.

Not surprisingly, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in Illinois. She won the 10th District with an even larger share of the vote, 62 percent in the 10th to 55 percent for all of Illinois. Meanwhile, Donald Trump received only just about one in three 10th District votes, 32.8 percent. Illinois as a whole was slightly better for him–39 percent statewide–but Election Day proved that the 10th District is not Trump Country.

bradvictory In the high-profile congressional race, Democrat Brad Schneider comfortably beat Republican incumbent Bob Dold, 52.5 percent to 47.4 percent. 2016 marked the third time Schneider and Dold faced each other. Schneider’s win this year was the largest margin of victory in any Schneider-Dold race. tammywins

Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth easily ousted current Republican Senator Mark Kirk. Duckworth won Illinois by more than 14 percent, garnerning over 54 percent of the vote. While that result might not shock observers, the numbers in the 10th District might surprise. Kirk served as 10th District House Representative for five terms, yet he lost his home district 53.3 percent to 42.4 percent, not too far from his deficit for all of Illinois.

mendozawins Another race that received a lot of attention was the campaign for Comptroller between Democrat Susana Mendoza and Republican Leslie Munger. Mendoza won the 10th District vote 48.5 percent to Munger’s 46 percent. The spread was slightly larger statewide, as Mendoza received 49.1 percent while Munger totaled 44.8 percent.

In the races for the state legislature, Democrats withstood the flood of money poured in by Bruce Rauner and his Illinois Republican Party friends. 31st District State Senator Melinda Bush won with 54 percent of the vote while her colleague, 29th District State Senator Julie Morrison, received over 59 percent against her own Republican challenger.In a heated contest targeted by Republicans, 62nd District State Representative Democrat Sam Yingling won 52.4 percent against Republican Rod Drobinski who failed to reach 48 percent. Meanwhile, 60th District State Representative Democrat Carol Sente easily won another term after receiving over 60 percent of the vote.

At the county level, first-time candidate Democrat Erin Cartwright Weinstein ousted Republican incumbent Keith Brin to become the new Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court. Cartwright Weinstein won with 53.3 percent of the Lake County vote overall while Brin could muster only 46.7 percent, but she thoroughly dominated in the 10th District, winning 57.2 percent to Brin’s 42.8 percent.

Democratic candidates up and down the ballot were strong throughout the 10th District, especially in Waukegan, Zion, and Moraine Townships. The foundation is there–now it’s time to build on the 2016 success.

Democrats Emerge the Clear Choice for Voters in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District

November 30, 2016

Featured, Updates

“Tenth Dems congratulates all of our wonderful Democratic candidates. Some of our victorious candidates include Tammy Duckworth, Susana Mendoza, Kim Foxx, Brad Schneider, Melinda Bush, Julie Morrison, Sam Yingling, Carol Sente, and Erin Cartwright Weinstein.

Overall, last Tuesday was an overwhelming success for the people of the 10th District. Democrats up and down the ballot won. Some candidates were strongly favored, while some surprised prognosticators. All were part of a ticket that withstood the rightward pull seen in so many areas of the country.

In one of the most closely-watched races this cycle, Democrat Brad Schneider comfortably defeated incumbent Republican Congressman Bob Dold. Schneider’s victory was a repudiation of Dold’s double talk and a clear signal that voters want someone to act on their behalf, not someone who just says what they want to hear. Now, more than ever, the people of the 10th District must be represented in Washington by someone who is not afraid to stand up to Donald Trump and a right-wing Congress if and when they continue their assault on the environment, gun violence legislation, women’s choice, immigration reform, and an economy that works for all. Fortunately, Brad Schneider is the voice the 10th District needs.

Tenth Dems is proud to have helped so many 2016 candidates who will continue to build on the progress we’ve made nationally, statewide, and locally, and who will stand up to those looking to take us backwards.”

Tength Congressional District Democrats

Democrats Emerge the Clear Choice for Voters in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District

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