Committee News
[See the Web Log for prior Committee News write-ups.]
We are working on a messaging campaign for use in all media that ends with the tagline, “—you might be a Democrat,” Take a look at our current list of messages on this Google Sheet. If you have more catchy lines, please send them to secretary@bencodems.org.
Buttons for Committees and Affinity Organizations:
From the Chair
Benton County Democratic Central Committee
January Special Events
Benton County Democratic Central Committee
General Meeting
January 22, 2026
Richland Public Library
955 Northgate Drive
Richland
and on ZOOM
Link to Call to Meeting
Delivering Results from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Legislation Committee
Follow the progress of 2026 Bills of Interest in this linked chart.
Platform and Resolutions
The Platform and Resolutions Committee has added a new resolution for comments.
The Platform and Resolutions Committee is starting resolutions work this year. Below are two resolutions in need of a review. Please read and comment.
For those wishing to propose a resolution, below is a link to a template you can use to craft your resolution.
This is a link to a chart of our current resolutions plan and actions taken.
The 2024 Platform has been adopted. Many thanks to the platform committee and the folks who contributed their precious time.
The following resolutions have been passed by the Central Committee and forwarded to the State party.
- Agrivoltaics Benefits to Eastern Washington
- Reinstate ban on naked credit default swaps
- Limit ratio of Executive v Employee pay
The following resolutions have been passed by the State party.
- Reinstate Restrictions on Stock Buybacks (final)
- Recovery Government Funded IP & Patents developed in whole or in part with taxpayer investments: Modification of Bayh-Dole Act 1980
- Faith and Credit-Debt Ceiling
- Reforming SCOTUS Nomination and Confirmation Process
The following resolutions are available for comments as they are being worked on by the committee:
Link to our Rittenhouse Resolution:
This is a link to the current State Party resolutions.
Organization Committee
National Democratic Training Committee
VoteBuilder Training
January 27, 2026 4:00 PM PST
Register with the National Democratic Training Committee for this VoteBuilder training. Listed time is Eastern Standard Time (7PM) so subtract 3 hours for Pacific Standard Time (4PM). This is good training and PCO’s are encouraged to participate. If you need access to VoteBuilder for your precinct reply to this email.
It’s time to get serious!!!!!
2026 Benton-Franklin Democrats Precinct Committee Officer Training
Plan to attend. Mark your calendar for Precinct Committee Officer Training January 30, 2026, 5 PM to 8PM at IBEW Local 77, 7025 W Grandridge Blvd, Kennewick WA.
More details coming.
The new PCO Handbook for 2025 is out!
The new PCO Handbook for 2025 is also in Spanish!
Here’s a complete list of all our PCO’s, elected, appointed, and acting:
Benton County Democratic Precinct Committee Officers
Here’s a link to more information about being a PCO.
Elections Committee
Second date added! Lunch and learn: Join PDC staff for a discussion on grassroots lobbying
Due to high demand, the Public Disclosure Commission has added a second lunch and learn on grassroots lobbying, scheduled for Jan. 27.
If your organization plans to participate in a campaign asking the public to support or oppose proposals before the Washington state Legislature this year, you may want to learn more about the state’s grassroots lobbying law.
The Public Disclosure Commission will host a virtual lunch and learn session on this topic at noon on Jan. 27. Please register in advance. You will receive an email with a link to join on the day before the event.
These sessions last for approximately 45 minutes and include a 10-15 minute presentation, followed by a question and answer period.
Grassroots lobbying, also called indirect lobbying, is a campaign addressed to the general public, a substantial portion of which is intended, designed or calculated primarily to influence state legislation. Many grassroots lobbying advertisements urge the public to contact their legislator on a topic before the Legislature.
Washington state law regarding grassroots lobbying reporting requirements recently changed.
The PDC’s presentation will include:
- Definitions of direct and indirect lobbying
- Registration requirements for groups engaging in grassroots lobbying
- An introduction to the grassroots lobbying report (L-6), and alternate reporting for lobbyists and political committees
- Examples and more information on relevant laws in the Revised Code of Washington
- Time for questions
WA Public Disclosure Commission
711 Capitol Way, Olympia, WA 98504
Lunch and learn: Join PDC staff for a discussion on grassroots lobbying
If your organization plans to participate in a campaign asking the public to support or oppose proposals before the Washington state Legislature this year, you may want to learn more about the state’s grassroots lobbying law.
The Public Disclosure Commission will host a virtual lunch and learn session at noon on January 20. Register in advance to receive a link to join the meeting.
These sessions last for approximately 45 minutes and include a 10-15 minute presentation, followed by a question and answer period.
Grassroots lobbying, also called indirect lobbying, is a campaign addressed to the general public, a substantial portion of which is intended, designed or calculated primarily to influence state legislation. Many grassroots lobbying advertisements urge the public to contact their legislator on a topic before the Legislature.
Washington state law regarding grassroots lobbying reporting requirements recently changed.
The PDC’s presentation will include:
- Definitions of direct and indirect lobbying
- Registration requirements for groups engaging in grassroots lobbying
- An introduction to the grassroots lobbying report (L-6), and alternate reporting for lobbyists and political committees
- Examples and more information on relevant laws in the Revised Code of Washington
- Time for questions
WA Public Disclosure Commission
711 Capitol Way, Olympia, WA 98504
Greetings,
The Benton County Canvassing Board will be meeting at various times during the February 10, Special Election cycle. This is to advise you of the current ballot processing schedule and canvassing board meetings for this election.
Commencing Monday, January 26, 2026 the following processes may occur daily, depending on the level of ballots returned on a day-to-day basis.
Official L&A test – Tuesday, January 20 – 10:00 am
- Ballot Drop Boxes will be opened – January 16
- Ballots Mailed – January 21
- Ballot Runs will be done 3 times a week. As of now we are looking at January 26, 28, 30. February 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11 for ballot runs and signature verification.
- Ballot scanning and opening will begin February 2
- February 19– Pre-Certification processes begin for the February Special Election @ 9 am
- February 20 – Certification of the February Special Election @ 9am
The processing schedule may be modified from time to time depending on the number of ballots received daily.
All election processes will take place at the Benton County Election Center, located at 7122 W. Okanogan Pl., Bldg. F, Kennewick.
During processing, no persons except those employed and authorized by the county auditor may touch any ballot, ballot container, or vote tallying system. We also ask that no photos be taken without the approval of the Election Manager.
To determine which processes are being conducted on a given day, we advise that observers contact our office directly.
Please let me know if you should have any questions.
Amanda Hatfield Elections Manager Benton County Auditor | Elections Division (509) 737-3931 Email: amanda.hatfield@co.benton.wa.us www.bentoncountywa.gov/auditor
Campaign Resources
Meet Outwork. Built by Democrats. For Democrats.
Campaign Plan Template from NDTC
Candidates take notice!
Communications Committee
Table of Contents
Links to Activism Resources
- The Big List of Protest Signs for #NoKings 10/18
- How to Verify a Quote from a Public Figure
- The Visibility Brigade Toolkit
- The Visibility Brigade – Toolkit – version 2
- WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW!
- The Revolution Will Be LIVE: Top 10 Reasons to Organize in the Real World
Other Local Party
Organizations and Caucuses
PCO Training & General Meeting Reminder
Please join us for our first general meeting of 2026! The January general meeting will happen on Thursday, the 15th. We will have our usual potluck at 5:30pm and with the meeting starting at 6pm. Our meeting will be both in person at the Pasco MCL Branch Library (1320 W. Hopkins) and on zoom.
Help Our Endorsed Candidates Win – Join Us in Canvassing!
Call to Meeting Thursday August 28, 2025
Call to Meeting Thursday July 17, 2025
Event – People’s Town Hall Invitation
Call to Meeting Thursday June 26, 2025
Events – Hernandez Kickoff – June 24 , 2025
Events – July 4 Signup – June 21, 2025
Call to Meeting Thursday May 22, 2025
🎉Walk with Us This Cinco de Mayo – Volunteers Needed!
Call to Meeting Thursday April 17, 2025
Free Candidate & Staff Training – March 28-29!
Call to Meeting Thursday March 20, 2025
Call to Meeting Thursday February 20, 2025
REMINDER Call to Meeting – Every 2 Years Reorganization – Thursday, Jan. 9
Call to Meeting – Every 2 Years Reorganization – Thursday, Jan. 9
Happy Holidays! Please hold the date Jan. 9
Call to Meeting this Thursday 11/21 DO SOMETHING #17
4th CD News
Economic Success is Engineered Inequality and Devastating Rural Washington
Together, We’re Reaching New Voters
Do nothing Dan and the MAGA dream
From Blue Sky Ranch to Big Ag: A Family Farmer’s Perspective
Strategy, Media, and the Future of Rural Washington
Is Compassion a Failed Narrative for Democrats
Reclaiming Education, Reclaiming Democracy
April 5th: Stand Up For HANDS OFF!
20,057 New Voters Reached and Thousands Pour Out To Protest!
Voices of Resilience: Yakima County Stands Firm in 2025
Saving The Republican Party: A Democrats Duty
Rural Voting: Lessor Of Two Evils? Choosing Between R’s
More “No on 2117” events scheduled and LD 14 Week of Action Kicks Off!
Two Powerhouse Events: Yakima Action Weekend with Governor Jay Inslee
Navigating the Pulse of Democracy: Key Insights on Politics, Voting, and Leadership
Turning Central & Eastern Washington Blue: The Race is Closer Than Ever
Ag and Rural Caucus
Ag and Rural Caucus for August
Link to recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/XIqx_qc0z4vhIT12aS-oDXPPYfDuX_rC9Bu1-3sbDsodKMZTCiz9UwuseWI4NcFw.u1z76oc8DrrQYU_H
Policy Briefing
6:30 pm Thursday 21 August
Jenna Friebel, ED, Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation Districts Consortium
Floodgates, Farmland, and Salmon – what are the facts?
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85907982157?pwd=MU4vV3E3VGZ5VU02dnhvZjg2b3hK.Zz09
Click link or Paste link into browser.
Jenna alerted me to a Skagit River issue that at first glance is unrelated. She reminds me, though, that land use issues in the Skagit basin seldom stand alone.
I will take you on another travelogue. If you have travelled the North Cascades Pass you will have followed the Skagit River. And – travelling west to east – just before you start the steep climb to Rainy Pass you will note beautiful Ross Lake tucked into a valley off to your left.
Ross Lake is backed up by Seattle City Light’s Ross Dam. Less spectacular are the waters backed up by Seattle City Light’s Gorge and Diablo dams, just down stream. You will have noticed the power lines as you came up the Skagit Valley and maybe have spied the dams as well (although the Skagit is diverted through a tunnel between Diablo and Gorge dams, leaving only a dribble on the surface between them).
Seattle City Light’s dams on the Skagit are a big deal. They supply about 20 percent of its power which, of course, is the power that keeps the lights on in Seattle. And they are a big deal because of a decades-long dispute over whether City Light’s closing off the Skagit at the Gorge Dam actually interrupted fish passage.
Today’s issue, though, is City Light’s 50-year relicensing it needs from FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). City Light concedes that it would look better to FERC if City Light did something to help the fish. Fish passage through to Ross Lake may not be on the table but City Light would be pleased to buy Skagit delta farmland to restore habit in the estuaries. “Estuary restoration is an essential component…”
So now we have joined the flood gate issue and Seattle City Light’s re-licensing petition with FERC. The common currency is habitat restoration using farm land in the Delta.
Even though ”City Light does not intend to utilize condemnation authority…”, such talk resonates with farmers. We tend to become righteous defenders of our farm land when big-city elites want to grab a bit. We sense disrespect from big-city elites and we are genuinely committed to keeping farm ground in production.
This combination explodes. And then these emotions spill over, from Seattle City Light re-licensing to flood gate repair. Flood gates and hydroelectric dams are not always that much different.
Don
20 August 2025
I neglected one geopolitical detail. The Swinomish Nation is just to the south of Padilla Bay, across the slough from LaConner. Padilla Bay is presumably traditional fishing and hunting grounds for the Swinomish.
Why is this significant? It gives the Swinomish Nation standing in challenging the upgrade of the tide gate and any effect on salmon runs, and the Swinomish, indeed, are the litigants on the other side of the tide gate issue.
Jenna is central in the tide gate matter and she will brief us with authority next Thursday.
You will notice that I refer to the Swinomish as “Nation”, not tribe. This should – not will – make a difference in deciding who is responsible for paying for mitigation. (I suspectJenna will lay out the proposed mitigation and the dollar figures.)
In eastern Washington we are routinely asked about who is going to pay for the ex ante mitigation we advocate for the Lower Snake River dams. At issue are federally-protected fish runs and the Nez Perce Nation and other native American nations are asserting treaty rights between their Nations and the United States Nation. If Nez Perce treaty rights are violated, it should be up to the Federal Government to make good. These are inter-national affairs; the rest of us are bystanders.
It should be added that we are always told “congress” will make the decision about the Lower Snake River dams. If congress makes the decision, congress pays the bills.
So, one point of comparison between tide gates and dams is who is responsible for the mitigation. In the tide gate matter, the local drainage and irrigation are being held responsible. When it comes to the Lower Snake River dams, the expectation is that the Federal Government will pay for mitigation. Jenna may give us a reality check on why dealing with a federally-protected fish run and upholding 1855 treaty rights between nations do not protect local drainage districts.
The other touch point is who is eventually making the call. The tide gate issue is in the courts. Eastern Washington dam advocates are insistent that congress – not the courts – will make the authoritative decisions regarding the Lower Snake River dams. The political risk is that power in D.C. will shift; the legal risk is that the courts will claim authority, like in the tide gate issue.
Risk, political and legal, drive ARC’s ex ante mitigation strategy. They are why ARC urges the region come up with a Plan B and make sure that the Federal Government will pay for it in advance.
I have hijacked the tide gate issue to talk about the Lower Snake River dams. I apologize. Doing so, though, does put the Padilla Bay tide gate issue in the context it deserves.
I have in several places anticipated that Jenna will fill in details. This is presumptuous…Jenna chooses to address these issues or not. She is fully capable of responding to your questions.
Don
18 August 2025
Next Thursday, the 21St, we will be talking about a specific tide gate at a specific location. The tide gate is at the foot of Portilla Bay just south of Bay View. To orient most of us, Portilla Bay is north of La Conner and Highway 20 from Burlington to Anacortes.
The tidegate at the center of the current controversy is not impressive. It is the tiny purple dot in the map above; “12” refers to Dike, Drainage and Irrigation District 12. I took a photo of it not quite sure if I knew what I was looking at.
I believe the tide gate is at the water line below the blue car. You can barely see it.
Why tide gates are important can be seen by the farm ground at the left. It lies below the level of Padilla Bay to the right of the path on top of the dike, and you can see a drain canal at the inside of the dike.
Jenna will us know next Thursday whether my guess about the tide gate is correct. Join us to find out. I have no pride about this one.
Don
14 August 2025
Have you recently driven up I-5 to Bellingham? Roundabout Mt. Vernon you may have glanced to your left and seen tulip fields, a dairy or two, or potato fields. You thought ‘that’s nice’ and you headed up the highway, maybe taking the scenic route up Chuckanut Drive along Salish Sea.
You were looking at about 60,000 acres of the state’s best farm ground, and at Puget Sound beyond which is held back by dikes, levees and tide gates.
What’s a tide gate? “The Skagit Delta tidegates have a simple purpose: to drain farmland when the tide goes out, then block incoming tides when they come lapping at the gate. “
And the tide gates are old. They need repair. This is the issue, and the rules have changed. What was once routine, no longer is. Salmon recovery complicates the issue. And salmon advocates introduce litigation into the routine.
Jenna Friebel heads up the Skagit Drainage and Irrigation District Consortium, a consortium that includes District 12 which is involved in the current litigation, leaving Jenna to coordinate the legal action.
Just to relieve Jenna to talk about the issues, I will let the State Auditor tell you about the Consortium:
The Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation District Consortium was formed in December 2018 to coordinate efforts countywide. Members include Skagit County Diking District No. 3, Skagit County Dike, Drainage and Irrigation Improvement District No. 5, Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation Improvement District No. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, Skagit County Consolidated Dike, Drainage, and Irrigation Improvement District No. 22, Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation District No. 22, Skagit County Dike and Drainage District No. 25, and Skagit County Dike, Drainage and Irrigation Improvement District No. 12. They are overseen by a five-member Executive Board and an Executive Director. Its main revenues are assessments charged to each of the creating drainage and irrigation districts. Revenues in 2021 and 2022 were $163,500 and $252,728, respectively.
Join Jenna and our team. Learn about a natural resource issue affecting farmers in the Skagit Valley. How are Skagit Delta tide gates like our Lower Snake River dams, and what can we learn?
Don
11 August 2025
The Ag and Rural Caucus approved support of the north counties (Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and Okanogan) in the amount of $500 to each county organization to use at the county’s discretion.
Don
8 August 2025
David Green, State Party Treasurer and Finance Committee co-chair, has seeded our conversation this evening with his notes below.
Take David’s initiative as an opportunity to develop your own thoughts and join the conversation this evening.
Don,
The state party’s Finance Committee has been charged with awarding funds to local party organizations who have submitted grant requests to the committee (the first round of submissions is due later this week, I believe.) Our grant-making process focuses on “party-building” activities (to avoid the issue you addressed with the PDC on supporting specific candidates or ballot initiatives.)
Rural initiative submissions are part of the targeted categories for which RFPs have been solicited by the Finance Committee. It is suggested that any single RFP be limited to a maximum of $2,000 funding request, although it is possible for local LPOs to “band together” for funding in excess of the $2,000 suggested limit.
A couple of thoughts for your internal conversation on Thursday:
- The Caucus could consider transferring its funds to the state party for inclusion in the 2025 grantmaking process, with the request that the funds target rural RFP submissions.
- I don’t know whether there’s any overlap between ARC membership and the membership of the Finance Committee, but if there is, an alternative approach would be for ARC to designate such a dual-role committee member as capable of “taking” one or more rural-focused RFP submissions out of the Finance Committee’s consideration and have that funding occur by ARC instead of the state party. This would mean there would be no need to have a separate RFP process — as the ARC funding could “cherry pick” any rural-focused RFP requests that are coming into the Finance Committee (in the near term, if not already received.)
- Other options are also potentially on the table — given the overlap in interest in funding rural-focused projects by the Finance Committee and ARC. I’m happy to entertain (with Finance Co-Chair Julie Johnson) any thoughts you might have.
- Finance Committee is scheduled to review the first round of RFP submissions a week from today, August 12.
Keep in mind that some LPO recipients may be “mini-reporting” filers with the PDC — and if so, have a maximum amount of $500 that they can receive from any single funding source (whether it be the state party, ARC, or an individual contributor.) The Finance Committee carefully reviews the PDC filing status of LPOs prior to its grantmaking approval process.
Isabella is the staff person coordinating the RFP process for the Finance Committee in case you might have any process questions for her. I’ve copied her and Finance Committee Co-Chair Julie Johnson on this message.
Dave
Don
7 August 2025
Better Practices
August Potpourri
6:30 pm Thursday 7 August
Marty Gilmore, ARC treasurer, reminds me that ARC has about $3,000 in the bank. The amount has accrued over a number of years when we had annual dues of $40 per county. It has accrued, too, because we have recorded no expenses, thanks(?) to COVID and our move to on-line meetings.
I sought PDC guidance to how we can use the money. We have a green light as long as we do not support specific candidates or ballot initiatives.
My thought is that we should invite LPO proposals for constructive use of the funds and award the money.
Your thoughts? Let’s discuss Thursday.
Don
05 August 2025
Ken Golling from LD 19 has a report and request.
Indivisible – what do you know? We can share.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86197176823?pwd=6BIWfzuGjNJvviW6YvgbeDeLHKF8FA.1
Policy Briefing
6:30 pm Thursday 21 August
Jenna Friebel, ED, Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation Districts Consortium
Floodgates, Farmland, and Salmon - what are the facts?
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85907982157?pwd=MU4vV3E3VGZ5VU02dnhvZjg2b3hK.Zz09
Click link or Paste link into browser.
Our Better Practices roundtable is on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.. Use the link above for 2025.
Our Policy Series is on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Use the link above for 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Ag and Rural Caucus, All rights reserved.
Ag and Rural Caucus of State Democratic Central Committee
Our mailing address is: Ag and Rural Caucus 2921 Mud Creek Rd Waitsburg, WA 99361
Ag and Rural Caucus for July
Policy Briefing
6:30 pm Thursday 17 July
Lynda Mapes, Seattle Times: Environment, Natural History, Native American Tribes
Columbia at a Crossroads: a look at the great river of the west
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85907982157?pwd=MU4vV3E3VGZ5VU02dnhvZjg2b3hK.Zz09
Click link or Paste link into browser.
I apologize. I have not introduced Lynda Mapes. You can, of course, google her but that seems a little mechanical.
I have noted that Lynda specializes in coverage of the environment, natural history and Native American tribes. She writes for the Seattle Times but publishes elsewhere too.
Lynda made herself unpopular with eastern Washington several years ago when she wrote about Tahlequah, the dead Orca calf that her mother carried around Salish Sea for a thousand miles. Lynda put a compelling face on the Orcas in Puget Sound and linked their survival to the restoration of salmon runs. This meant salmon habit restoration and culvert removal in western Washington but what we in eastern Washington heard was how the Lower Snake River dams were responsible for Tahlequah and the survival of the empathetic Orcas…actually, maybe you should google Lynda.
Don
14 July 2025
Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement…what was it? Note the past tense “was” but more below.
“Ex ante mitigation” has long been Ag and Rural Caucus’s position on the Lower Snake River dams. Our position has been that whether you support breaching the dams or oppose breaching, our region needs a Plan B. There are political risks and the litigation risks to the operation of the dams. Congress can turn on a dime, courts can require change. These risks mean that we need to map the current functions of the dams (“services”) and advocate now for the investments needed to replace these functions. The mapping is not hard: energy, barging, and irrigation. Maybe throw recreation into the mix. The “ex ante” part means that the solutions need to be funded and in place before dirt moves.
Ex ante mitigation got a voice in the summer of 2022 when Senator Murray and Governor Inslee wrote “we are adamant that in any circumstance where the Lower Snake River Dams would be breached, the replacement and mitigation of their benefits must be pursued before decommissioning and breaching.”
The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement followed in the fall of 2023 and was published in December, 2023. The Agreement was between the Federal Government and tribal sovereigns plus the states of Oregon and Washington. “Tribal sovereigns” is important here. The agreement put on hold tribal litigation to enforce the 1855 Stevens treaties that guaranteed the tribes rights to fish at all accustomed and usual places: “exclusive right of taking fish in the streams running through and bordering said reservation is hereby secured to said Indians, and at all other usual and accustomed stations in common with citizens of the United States…”
Eastern Washington irrigators and wheat growers complain that they were not included in the negotiations among the sovereigns. They were not parties to the litigation and had not been injured. The tribes were both.
The Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement was a first step in funding ex ante mitigation. Mr. Trump has reversed that first step: “The negative impacts from these reckless acts, if completed, would be devastating for the region, and there would be no viable approach to replace the low-cost, baseload energy supplied; the critical shipping channels lost; the vital water supply for local farmers reduced; or the recreational opportunities that would no longer be possible as a result of these acts.”
His preface, though, tells the back story: “It is essential to protect Americans’ ability to take full advantage of our vast natural resources to ensure human flourishing across our country. “
Lynda Mapes, is this the hint of culture that we have been looking for? Natural resources are for human use…“take full advantage”? Maybe so, but it does leave unanswered whether there are people who are more human than others.
Don
12 July 2025
Our neighbors from Spokane to Pasco to Quincy are passionate about the Snake River Dams. Almost all are passionate that the dams stay in place as they have for nearly seventy years.
I share this passion about Grand Coulee and the Columbia Basin Project. Even when Grand Coulee (and Chief Joseph) closes off salmon migration, I have seen the enormous change the Project has brought to central Washington. I remember Dad driving us across the Basin and seeing the dusty parcels of alfalfa next to the mobile home with a couple of hand lines trying to make a difference in the sand. These memories now live only in my mind and on the pages of Basin histories. My memories of scarcity are replaced by shiny Grant County tourism brochures boasting of prosperity.
So, what about the Lower Snake River dams? Who has comparable memories of economic transformation coming from these dams? Not many, I suspect. Yet eastern Washington has the same sense of investment in these dams as I have in Grand Coulee. The LSR dams do provide a modest amount of electrical power to BPA, a little irrigation in Franklin county, and enough subsidized barge traffic to qualify Lewiston as a seaport.
The economic benefits of the LSR dams can be replaced by solar panels, some investment to keep water flowing to Ice Harbor orchards, and restoration of the rail network in southern Whitman County.
This is where our neighbors’ personal investment in the LSR dams is out of proportion to their economic exposure. This is the province of passion. Using “culture” to stand in for passion may make the puzzle more tractable.
I confess that I lack the tools to deconstruct culture. This is where we need Lynda Mapes and her perspective to help us understand ourselves and our neighbors. Lynda has the tools to understand culture. Even so, this is a lot to ask of her. That is why your voice counts. Join the conversation.
Don
9 July 2025
Lynda Mapes is going to give us a tour of the Columbia/Snake River. She sees the Columbia River at a crossroads. To be at a crossroad, of course, means that you select a path forward. This notion of choice may mean that you allow the past simply to push you forward in one direction, or it may mean that you imagine a quite different path. Either way, it helps to know the path we have taken to arrive at this crossroads.
Lynda will give us a read on how we Europeans have influenced the metaphoric – and actual - flow of the Columbia over the last two hundred years or so. Some of this will be familiar and even reassuring. Other aspects may not be so comfortable.
This part is the path to the present. The path forward…what are our choices?
Don
7 July 2025
Our Better Practices roundtable is on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.. Use the link above for 2025.
Our Policy Series is on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm. Use the link above for 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Ag and Rural Caucus, All rights reserved.
Ag and Rural Caucus of State Democratic Central Committee
Our mailing address is: Ag and Rural Caucus 2921 Mud Creek Rd Waitsburg, WA 99361
Matt Boehnke -Nov. 20, 2025 | SNAP benefits was never a partisan issue, it was a people issue
8th Legislative District Democrats
Chair Retirement & General Meeting
Wednesday, October 15th, 2025
Round Table Pizza
3300 W Clearwater Ave, Kennewick, WA 99336
and on ZOOM
6:30 PM
Link to email for General Meeting
Matt Boehnke – Sept. 24, 2025 | A fresh start: It’s Back-to-School in Washington
Link to email for Comedy Night
Link to email for August E-Board Meeting
Link to email for August General Meeting
Link to email for July Executive Board Meeting
Link to email for July Ice Cream Social Meeting Invitation
Matt Boehnke Legislative Report July 16, 2025
Link to email for July General Meeting Invitation
Link to email for June Executive Board Meeting
Link to email for June General Meeting
June 11 | E-newsletter | Helping chart Washington’s energy policy
Matt Boehnke Town Hall May 31, 2025
Matt Boehnke Legislative Report March 17, 2025
Matt Boehnke Newsletter, April 25, 2025
Call to Meeting, April 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Matt Boehnke Newsletter, April 22, 2025
Matt Boehnke Newsletter, March 29, 2025
8th LD Bill Alert on SB 726, March 17, 2025
Matt Boehnke Legislative Report 2025 02 26
8th LD Bill Alert on SB 5174, February 14, 2025
Matt Boehnke Legislative Report 2025 02 11
Legislative Latte Rescheduled – Update
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Legislative Latte with Sen. Boenke has been cancelled
REMINDER 8th LD – Clean Slate Meeting – Saturday, November 16, 6 p.m.
New Meeting: Saturday, Oct. 19
8th LD Call to Meeting – 6 p.m. Oct. 5
Convention After-Action Report, and Future Plans
CORRECTED LD8 Membership Meeting – NOW Wednesday, July 10, 6-8 p.m., Conf Room A, Richland Library
14th LD News
14th LD Virtual Town Hall
Thursday March 13, 2025
6:30 PM
Rep. Deb Manjarrez
14th Legislative District
Deb Manjarrez is serving her first term representing Washington state’s 14th Legislative District. She is a certified public accountant and has been the senior partner in her firm for 25 years.
Deb chaired the Wapato Chamber of Commerce for 10 years and helped found the popular Wapato Tamale Festival.
Deb and her husband, Mark, are long-time apple orchardists in the Wapato area. They manage an orchard that has been in her family since the 1940s.
Rep. Gloria Mendoza
14th Legislative District
Gloria Mendoza is serving her first term representing the 14th Legislative District.
A former farmworker, Gloria has lived in Yakima County for more than 45 years. She has owned and operated various small businesses for more than 25 years, including a private vocational and technical school, and is the founder of a company that provides services to children and families.
Gloria served as Grandview’s mayor and on the Grandview City Council. She is the proud mother of three children. Gloria is active in her community and deeply cares about family and the agricultural community.
15th LD Democrats News
16th LD Democrats News
9th Legislative District
9th District legislators to host virtual town hall on Thursday, March 20
Sen. Mark Schoesler, Rep. Joe Schmick and Rep. Mary Dye are inviting citizens to join them Thursday, March 20 for a 9th District virtual town hall meeting.
The eastern Washington lawmakers will provide an update of the 2025 legislative session and then take questions from participants. Citizens may also submit written questions during the process of registering to participate in the meeting.
During the town hall meeting, the 9th District legislative team will discuss several issues, including:
- The upcoming two-year state operating, capital and transportation budgets.
- The likelihood that majority Democrats will impose new and/or higher taxes on Washingtonians.
- Efforts by Democrats to pass anti-gun legislation.
- Bills impacting K-12 education and higher education.
- Bills affecting agriculture in Washington.
The event will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and conducted using the Zoom platform. Preregistration is required by clicking here to preregister. Those registering will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting.
Walla Walla County Democrats News
Yakima County Democrats News
Meet the Democrat for Congress TONIGHT
Holiday Happy Hour Dec 11, 5-7pm Single Hill
Monday night’s meeting is Cancelled
Next election starts now – meeting next Mon at 6:30
Oct 27 meeting features Justice Housing
Monthly Meeting this Monday, 6:30 pm
Candidates, Issues & Endorsements, NOW
Meeting this Monday – Preview the Fall campaign
Join the Fall campaign – don’t sit this one out!
Primary ballot questions answered July 28
Meet more candidates, Monday, 6:30 pm
Lots to PROTEST and CELEBRATE in June
We’ve got candidates, come meet some of them
Last chance to run for Council, School Board
REMINDER: Dems meeting this Monday, 6:30 pm
More protests coming up on Calendar
Time to stand up for Democracy
Monthly Meeting MONDAY 6:30, doors open 6 pm
Protect Mother Earth from MAGA
Monthly Meeting MONDAY 6:30, doors open 6 pm
RESIST the re-writing of history: Black History Month
Resolve: be an ACTIVE Yakima Democrat in 2025
Reorganization Meetings Dec 7, 9:00 a.m.
Call to General Meeting, Nov 25
Maria Cantwell at TODAY’S event!
Less than a week to ELECTION DAY!
Call to YCDCC regular business meeting
From the State Central Committee
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
It’s MLK Day Weekend, Washington Democrats!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend
This year, celebrating MLK Day has been imbued with renewed importance. Many of the issues and forces that Dr. King struggled against are rearing their ugly heads in our own time and communities. As the federal government tramples our civil liberties with unconstitutional door-to-door immigration crackdowns, murders American citizens, and engages in regime change abroad while our own communities struggle to afford basic necessities, I draw upon the wisdom and aspiration of Dr. King’s ideal of “The Beloved Community.”
From The King Center: “For Dr. King, The Beloved Community was not a lofty utopian goal to be confused with the rapturous image of the Peaceable Kingdom, in which lions and lambs coexist in idyllic harmony. Rather, The Beloved Community was for him a realistic, achievable goal that could be attained by a critical mass of people committed to and trained in the philosophy of and methods of nonviolence.”
Here are some opportunities to help build The Beloved Community in our own backyards:
- Saturday – Monday – We Have a Dream Weekend at Imagine Children’s Museum, 9AM-4PM. Details here.
- Saturday – Federal Way MLK Day Celebration, 10:30AM-1PM at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center. Details here.
- Saturday – Youth-Led MLK March, 11AM-4PM, starts at MLK Jr. Memorial Park in Seattle. Details here.
- Sunday – MLK Community Celebration at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, 12:30PM-5PM. Some activities require registration. Details here.
- Sunday – The Greater Everett MLK Community Sunday Celebration, 4PM-6PM. Details here.
- Monday – Washington State Parks Free Entrance, dawn to dusk. Details here.
- Monday – MLK Day of Service 2026, times vary by event. Details here.
- Monday – Spokane MLK Community Center annual MLK Day Event, Spokane Convention Center. Rally at 10AM, March following, Resource Fair 11AM-1:30PM. Details here.
- Monday – NAAM King Day, 10AM-5PM. Details here.
- Monday – Whole Washington presents documentary The Power to Heal. 6:30PM, Virtual. Register here.
- Monday – Free American Rally in Wenatchee. 1PM-3PM at Memorial Park. Register here.
Working for Washington
| Washington Democrats salute our peers in Skamania County who put together an incredible training on Strategies to Oppose Authoritarianism featuring historians, activists, and community leaders. The training filled to capacity in record time (so fast that the link was taken down before last week’s newsletter went out – apologies for anyone who tried to sign up and couldn’t get in!) and demonstrates that even in the so-called red counties of our state, communities seek to resist Trump’s authoritarian regime. |
This week was also the beginning of the legislative session in Olympia. On Tuesday, Governor Bob Ferguson delivered his first State of the State address. You can read the transcript here or watch it here. The top priorities laid out in his speech were investing in infrastructure, making Washington’s tax system more fair by creating a Millionaire’s Tax, and continuing progress to address the housing crisis.
Other potential legislation that is gaining traction includes a ban on law enforcement face coverings sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, one of our DNC members. The law has exceptions for undercover officers and SWAT operations and would not apply to personal protective equipment like faceshields or helmets. Governor Ferguson, Speaker Jinkins, and Senate Majority Leader Pedersen have all endorsed the bill as a priority for this session.
Another high profile piece of legislation would regulate AI chatbot companions. As cases mount of younger AI users committing suicide after interacting with AI chatbots, SB 5984 would require AI tools to remind users they are robots, not humans, at the beginning of every conversation and at least every three hours during a session. It would also ban chatbots from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users and require the chatbot to refer users to mental health services when they express self-harm or eating disorders.
Over in Covington, we are celebrating the election of our State Committee Member, Sean Smith, who is their newest mayor! Mayor Smith is the first Democratic mayor in Covington in over a decade and his election only became possible with last year’s election of Riley Reed to the City Council. These results would not have been possible without the countless volunteer hours that went into electing Democrats up and down the ballot last year. Congratulations Sean and thank you to everyone in the 47th LD who helped make this possible!
Democrats Fight Back
U.S. Representative Emily Randall (WA-6) helped launch an effort in Congress to impeach and convict DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. She also released this powerful video contextualizing the hate and violence we are up against. No matter what, she’s going to work for our state and we have her back!
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell is hammering the Trump administration over their broken promises to lower costs for Americans. Grocery prices are up 2.4%. Consumer prices are up 2.7%. And electricity prices are up 6.7%. Trump’s attacks on renewable energy and tariff policies are only driving these prices higher.
Another week, another W for AG Nick Brown against the Trump administration. This time, AG Brown has won a case finding that Trump illegally canceled $7.6 billion in clean energy grants for projects in blue states.
Governor Ferguson and Washington Democrats in the state legislature are working to pass a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million per year (property values won’t count towards this threshold). Fixing our state’s upside down tax system which has the poorest Washingtonians paying far more as a percentage of their take-home earnings than the richest Washingtonians has been one of Washington Democrats’ top priorities since I entered politics. There will be inevitable court cases and probably ballot measures, but this is a tremendous first step to fixing our budget woes and restoring justice to our state’s tax system. If implemented, low-income residents, small businesses, and property owners will see reduced taxes.
When We Count Fellowship
I’m excited to share with you the DNC’s new organizing effort, the When We Count Fellowship. This is a new DNC program to build Democratic voter registration in key states – and you can be part of it. Apply to be a When We Count Fellow and join a national cohort of emerging organizers who will make the difference in upcoming elections. Apply today!
Delegate Election Process for 2026 State Convention
Every two years, Washington Democrats host a state convention for delegates across the state to vote on amendments to the party platform, resolutions, and charter and bylaw amendments. Any self-identified Democrat in Washington state may run to be elected as a delegate to the state convention. I encourage you to run! This year’s Convention will be in Spokane, June 19-21!
Delegates impact our official positions on today’s biggest policy issues, represent their community’s needs and values, connect with leaders from around the state, and teach and learn more about the Washington Democrats alongside other activists and party members.
Anyone willing to publicly identify as a Democrat may run to be a delegate. There is no age limit, but candidates must reside in the legislative district for which they are running to be a delegate in. 1,171 state delegates will be elected alongside 490 alternates from Washington’s 49 legislative districts. State delegates will be elected by their Legislative District Party Organizations (LPOs) to represent their district at the 2026 Washington State Democratic Convention. The Online Delegate Self-Nomination Portal opens on January 1, 2026 at this link. Those with questions should email partyaffairs@wa-democrats.org.
- Rally, Protest, and Gather
- Anytime – Sign up to receive ICE Mobilization Alerts for communities in Washington state. Sign up here.
- Tuesday, Jan 20 – National Walk Out. All day. More information and pledge here.
- Tuesday, Jan 20 – NW Immigrants Rights Project (NWIRP): Know Your Rights: Colleges & Universities. English: Noon -12:45PM. Spanish: 12:45PM-1:30PM. Register here.
- Wednesday, Jan 21 – National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) Developing Your Local Democratic Party’s Structure and Priorities, 10AM, Virtual. Sign up here.
- Thursday, Jan 22 – NDTC Planning Your Fundraising Strategy, 10AM, Virtual. Sign up here.
- Saturday, Jan 24 – We’re Still Standing March & Rally, 12:30PM-3 PM, Hiawatha Playfield in Seattle. More details here.
- Sunday, Jan 25 – Pramila Jayapal Special Edition Resistance Lab: Stand for Good, 11AM, Virtual. Register here.
- Monday, Jan 26 – NDTC Field Tactics 101, 10AM, Virtual. Sign up here.
- Tuesday, Jan 27 – NWIRP Immigration Updates. English: 5PM-5:45 PM. Spanish: 5:45PM-6:30PM. Register here.
- Tuesday, Jan 27 – NDTC Tech Time: Building a List in VoteBuilder, 4P,M Virtual. Sign up here.
- Wednesday, Jan 28 – NDTC Running in a Red District, 11AM, Virtual. Sign up here.
- Send us details on rallies and protests in your communities
- Email details to press@wa-democrats.org
- Donate
- If you would like to see less Washington D.C. and more Washington state in your community, please DONATE to The Real Washington Fund – our rapid response account to counter MAGA’s chaos with real organizing, real solutions, and real results. We can’t do the work of holding Republicans accountable without your support.
- Follow us on social media
DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS
Guess who supports a millionaire’s tax? Republicans, WA poll finds, The Seattle Times
Key bills to watch as Washington’s 2026 legislative session begins, King5
Video of masked ICE arrest in Redmond sparks push for ‘No Secret Police’ rules, King5
How have prices changed in a year? NPR checked 114 items at Walmart, KUOW
Governor Ferguson to support bill that regulates AI to detect users searching about self-harm, KIRO7
Behind the curtain: the Haves, Have-Nots, Have-Lots economy, Axios
Seattle will see ramifications of U.S. attack on Venezuela, The Seattle Times
In a divided Congress, WA’s members share a baby chick, The Seattle Times
Citizenship interviews canceled in Seattle amid Trump crackdown, The Seattle Times
EPA to stop considering lives saved when setting rules on air pollution, The New York Times
WA Dems move to regulate ‘high-risk’ AI used in certain decisions, The Seattle Times
WHAT I’M READING
Here are Seahawks’ top 12 moments of the 2025 season, The Seattle Times
This MLK Day weekend, I will be taking a break on Saturday to watch the Seattle Seahawks fight for glory on their path to a potential third Super Bowl as they host the San Francisco 49ers. What better way to get hyped for tomorrow’s game than reliving some of the biggest highlights from this history-making season. Go Hawks!
Thanks for all you do,
Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party
In 2024, Washington Democrats led the nation with sweeping electoral victories. Now, we’re fighting to elect a supermajority in Olympia, protect our swing seats in the House, and stand up to MAGA extremism across the country.
WA Dems empowers grassroots organizing and elects Democrats up and down the ballot. Your support fuels our fight to stop Trump and defend our democracy.
We sincerely thank you for your help and support.
Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 United States
Hello Democrats,
I am happy to announce that 2026 State Delegate Virtual Self-Nomination is OPEN!
Our 2026 State Democratic Convention will be held in Spokane, WA on June 19th-21st, 2026! If you would like to attend the convention as a State Delegate, the process to run for Delegate begins TODAY! The Delegate Self-Nomination process will be open from January 1st – February 20th at 5 PM! If you would like to Self-Nominate please do so HERE!
If you have not yet Self-Nominated to run for State Delegate, the form is open until February 20th at 5 PM and you can Self-Nominate HERE
We just finished a “How to Run for State Delegate” Training! If you missed it, it was recorded and you can view that HERE
If you would like to attend any training or office hours. in the future, the list is below:
- How to Run for State Delegate Training
- Register for Trainings
- January 8th, 2026 at 6 PM
- January 15th, 2026 at 6 PM
- January 22nd, 2026 at 6 PM
- January 29th, 2026 at 6 PM
- February 5th, 2026 at 6 PM
- February 12th, 2026 at 6 PM
- February 19th, 2026 at 6 PM
- State Delegate Office Hours
- Register for Office Hours
- State Delegate Office Hours
- Register for Office Hours
- January 10th, 2026 at 12 PM
- January 17th, 2026 at 12 PM
- January 24th, 2026 at 12 PM
- January 31st, 2026 at 12 PM
- February 7th, 2026 at 12 PM
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
In Solidarity,
Isabella Maffei – (She/Her/Hers)
Party Affair Manager | Washington State Democrats
isabella@wa-democrats.orgwadems.org
Sign Up for the Party Affairs Newsletter
Party Documents can be found HERE
The Public State Party Google Drive can be found HERE
Democratic National Committee News
The Blue Print -NEW: Introducing When We Count
My name is Lorenza Ramirez, and I’m the National Organizing Director at the DNC. And today, I’m going to be very direct with you: Democrats have lost major ground to MAGA with young people. Unless we act now, we’ll be at a disadvantage for decades.
It’s my job to make sure that Democrats are reaching as many voters as we can, in communities all over the country.
I’m the first in my family to go to college, and it shaped how I see this work: Access matters. Winning back young voters won’t happen by accident. It will require intentional investment and a willingness to build new organizing programs that make getting involved in politics more accessible for young people who have felt left out.
So the DNC is taking charge. Through a first-of-its-kind partisan registration push, which we’re calling When We Count, we’ll register hundreds of thousands of new Democrats this year and train the next generation of organizers to do it. Take a look:
DNC Announces Brand New Voter Registration Program in Preparation for the 2026 Midterms
In a second, I’m going to ask you to make your first contribution of 2026 to help fund this work, but first let me explain why this is so important:
Democrats have lost ground because in the last few years, we’ve largely approached voter registration as a nonpartisan initiative. All the while, MAGA has built a hyper-partisan voter registration machine.
That ends now. The DNC is taking the lead in solving this problem and doing what it takes to reverse these registration trends in flippable congressional districts across the country.
If we’re successful, this might just help us flip Congress in November, Kendall. We could win critical races, from your local school board all the way up to the Senate. The electoral consequences could be massive, but this program won’t be cheap. And the scale of our investment depends directly on grassroots support.
That’s why I’m asking you to chip in $10 today.
$10 to help us register thousands of new voters.
$10 to ensure Democrats make inroads in every community this year.
$10 to support work like this election cycle after election cycle — so we can take back Congress, and ultimately, the White House.
If initiatives like these are important to you, we hope you’ll consider pitching in a few dollars to help fund the work we’re doing:
Thank you, and we’ll have more updates to share soon.
Lorenza
Lorenza Ramirez
Organizing Director
Democratic National Committee
Text JOIN to 43367
If you’re ready to elect Democrats in all 50 states, territories, and D.C., make a contribution today.
Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not tax deductible. Paid for by the Democratic National Committee, www.Democrats.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
We’re at a critical moment, and your voice matters more than ever.
The midterms are fast approaching, and we can’t leave anything to chance.
We’ve seen over and over again that when Democrats invest, and when we compete everywhere, we can win anywhere. Last year, we won races all over the country — from Mississippi to Wisconsin to Arizona and beyond. We flipped seats in places that hadn’t had a Democratic leader in decades.
As we prepare for the 2026 midterms and beyond, the Democratic Party is listening closely to our base. We want to know what issues matter most to you, where you think we should focus our efforts, and how we can better communicate, organize, and fight for the values we share — because we can’t move forward without you.
That’s why we’re reaching out today to ask for your input. We’ve put together a survey to hear directly from our supporters across the country. Your answers will help guide our strategy, messaging, advocacy, and investments in the months ahead.
Your answers won’t just sit in a spreadsheet. When Democrats across the country take the time to make their voices heard, that is how we create a vision for the future of our Party.
In solidarity,
The Democratic National Committee
Text JOIN to 43367
If you’re ready to elect Democrats in all 50 states, territories, and D.C., make a contribution today.
Democratic National Committee · 430 S Capitol St SE · Washington, DC 20003-4024 · USA
The Blue Print – Organizing to Win in 2026
The Blue Print – Our 2026 New Year’s Resolutions
The Blue Print – Thank You for a Historic 2025
The Blue Print – The DNC Is Reaching Voters Everywhere
The Blue Print – Become a Local Listener!
The Blue Print – The DNC Is Reaching Voters Everywhere
The Blue Print – Americans Deserve Better This Holiday Season
The Blue Print – Democrats Have Undeniable Momentum Heading into the Midterms
The Blue Print – How Trump Destroyed the Economy in 10 Months
The Blue Print – Get Out the Vote in Miami
The Blue Print – The DNC is Making Electoral Strides Nationwide
The Blue Print – How To Talk to Your Republican Relatives This Thanksgiving
The Blue Print – We’re Only Getting Started
The Blue Print – Turning November’s Wins into Sustaining Momentum
The Blue Print – Help Support Families This Weekend
The Blue Print – Democrats Are Fighting Around The Clock
The Blue Print – DNC Chair breaks down the BLUE SWEEP on Election Day
The Blue Print – Democrats Dominated Election Season
The Blue Print – Chair Ken Martin: Last Night, Voters Sent A Message To Donald Trump
The Blue Print – Election Day is almost here!
The Blue Print – Chair Ken Martin: It’s Time To Get Out The Vote
The Blue Print – November Is Ours To Win
The Blue Print – Join the Call Crew!
The Blue Print – How We Hold Trump Accountable Online
The Blue Print – Trump Is Cutting Cancer Research
The Blue Print -How You Can Protect Voting Rights This Weekend
The Blue Print -The DNC’s Historic Investments Continue to Power 2025 Elections
The Blue Print – Democrats Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
The Blue Print – Training the Next Generation of Leaders
The Blue Print – This Is How We Win in November!
The Blue Print – Donate and win a trip to the Women’s Leadership Conference in D.C.
The Blue Print – I Live on $70 a Month. Now My Nursing Home Could Close
The Blue Print – The “Party of Free Speech” Shuts Down Free Speech
The Blue Print – Get Out the Vote for Virginia
The Blue Print – DNC Chair Ken Martin: “I am sick of losing friends to political violence.”
The Blue Print – Democrats Are Overperforming Everywhere
The Blue Print – Join Democrats for a National Voter Registration Week of Action
The Blue Print – Grassroots Partners Fuel Our Work
The Blue Print – Join Democrats This Fall
The Blue Print – Why The DNC Is Taking New Media Seriously (and you should too!)
The Blue Print – Democrats Continue to Fight for the Lone Star State
The Blue Print – Three Actions You Can Take This Weekend To Support Fair and Free Elections
The Blue Print – Three Ways To Help Democrats Fight the Texas Gerrymander
The Blue Print – The DNC Is Out of the Beltway
The Blue Print – This Summer, the DNC Is Organizing Everywhere
The Blue Print – The DNC’s Seven-Figure Investment into VirginiaIntroducing: Organizing Summer
The Blue Print – Introducing: Organizing Summer
Join us for Out and Proud: Let’s Sashay to the Polls!
PCOs Can (and Should) Start Doorbelling – For PCOs, the time to walk or call the voters in your precincts is NOW so that we can get that data back into Votebuilder ASAP. The data PCOs collect in the first quarter of this year is essential to the voter targeting every Democratic candidate will be able to do in the primary election and for the rest of the year. If needed, our Coordinated Campaign staff can help set PCOs up with a phone or canvass list, an appropriate script for their precinct, and either a listening or ID canvass – just ask us at organizing@wa-democrats.org.
Voices
Fix Democracy First has compiled an excellent list of sites with which to expand your activism
APPLY HEAT, MELT ICE — This Weekend, We Protest Everywhere!
My Afternoon With The Last Living Prosecutor of Nazi War Criminals
Yes! Today is Election Day for Many Cities and States Across the Country!
URGENT: Get Out The Vote for Zohran TOMORROW — Sunday!
“Will We Remain In The Shadows, Or Will We Together Step Into The Light?”
One Week After “No Kings,” What Comes Next?
Your Pics From Yesterday’s Massive Protests
TOMORROW, October 18th — We Hit The Streets!
Hey New Yorkers — VOTE TOMORROW!
Here’s the New Pledge of Allegiance I Think We All Should Take
Why Today April 30th Should Be a National Holiday
PROTEST EVERYWHERE — Saturday, April 19 — Every city, every county, every town, everywhere! Freedom Against Tyranny!
There Was a Record 5 to 6 Million People Who Took to the Streets to Stop Trump on Saturday! — And the Only Sound of Silence You Hear is from the Media and the Democratic Party
Massive Crowds Everywhere! And Everywhere You Look, You Will See The True Leaders of This Next Revolution
Get Up! Get Out! Get in the Streets! Mass Protests Saturday Near You!
Simon Rosenberg
Veteran Political Analyst, Strategist and Commentator. 2 Presidential campaigns (incl Clinton War Room), senior roles at DNC, DCCC, NDN. One of the only ones who got 2022 right. On Substack at Hopium Chronciles.
Newsom in Davos: “This Is Code Red,” Europe Declares Independence, Congress Returns
Trumps Edges Closer to War With Europe, Saly Comes Home, It’s All About Courage Now
“Coming Together” – Some Sunday Thoughts On Meeting The Moment
A New Campaign To Support The Courageous People Of Minnesota
Anderson Clayton Dropped By With Exciting News And A Preview of Battleground North Carolina In 2026
New Polling Finds Public Turning On ICE, A Bad Inflation Report, Desperate Men Do Desperate Things
Hill Rs Broke With Trump 5 Times Last Week. What’s Going To Happen This Week?
The Trump Regime Is Overflowing With Dangerous Monsters, Idiots, And Madmen
Is Trump In Charge Of Venezuela? The Maduro Government Says No. What The F-ck Is Going On?
January Will Be A Consequential Month, The Mamdani Era Begins, Russia Is Not Winning In Ukraine
“A New Birth Of Freedom” – The Great Task Remaining Before Us
Gratitude, Determination, And Courage
Returning Trump’s White Supremacy To The Dustbin Of History – Where It Belongs
Trump Keeps Running Interference For Putin
“Putin Is A Ruthless Murderer Who Has No Interest In Peace And Cannot Be Trusted”
In An Unhinged Christmas Message Trump Confesses
The Blinding Greed, Arrogance, And Incompetence Of Their Vile 1,000 Year Reich
Sunday Hopium – Trump Is Desperate, Depraved, Corrupt, Deeply Unwell, And Guilty As F-ck
There Is Only One Story Tonight – Trump Is Unwell
It’s Not A Presidency. It’s A Crime Spree – And It Needs To End
Trump and Bondi Give Middle Fingers To The Survivors, Congress, And The American People
2026 Is Shaping Up To Be A Year Of Opportunity For Us – If We Seize It (New Video, Written Analysis)
There Is Only One Story Tonight – Trump Is Unwell
Rising Electricity Prices And The Fight For A Better Energy Future – My Conversation With Jay Inslee
Trump And Trumpism Are In Trouble As Republicans Are Growing Weary Of Defending The Indefensible
Trump Loses Big In Indiana – And Again And Again All Over Washington Today
A Year Of Opportunity Ahead – My Conversation With Jen Rubin Of The Contrarian
Eileen Higgins Blows It Out In Miami, Wins 59%-40%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trump Begins The Rebrand. Are We Ready?
Closing Strong In Miami, Allred Drops Out Of Texas Senate Race, House Rs Abandoning Ship
Sunday Hopium – Off To The DNC/ASDC Meetings This Week, Some Things I Continue To Wrestle With
Meet Mayor Paige Cognetti, A Fighter Running in PA-8
Affordability: How Trump Has Made It Worse – A New Conversation With Dr. Rob Shapiro
When We Fight Trump We Can Win – 2025’s Most Important Lesson
They Are For The Oligarchs, We Are For The People – My New Discussion With Stuart Stevens
Let’s Make December A Very Good Month For Democracy
Putting The Trump Regime’s Corruption, Lawlessness, And Betrayal Front And Center In Our Politics
Trump And His Regime May Be Heading Towards A Legitimacy Crisis
Supporting Hopium, Our Candidates, And Our State Parties This Holiday Season
Happy Thanksgiving All – So Grateful For This Remarkable Community That We’ve Built, Together
Democratic National Committee, November 12, 2025
Aftyn Behn Tied In New Emerson Poll, Some Holiday Thoughts About Trump’s Failed Project And Working With Much Greater Ambition Now
New Conversation With The Inspiring Aftyn Behn – Let’s Help Her Close Strong Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!
Supporting Aftyn Behn And Flipping The House, Trump And The GOP Are Melting Down, Gov. Beshear On Aspiration And Winning Back Rural Voters
Both Sane and Insane – My Conversation With Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat About Understanding Trump And Other Autocrats
Standing With Ukraine Not Putin, Hopium Backs Rep. Aftyn Behn, Rs Coming To Realize Trump Is A Malevolent Fu-k Up
“This is one of the most serious geopolitical mistakes of my lifetime” – Senator Angus King on Trump’s rancid betrayal of Ukraine and the West
Congress Rebuked Trump On His Epstein Cover Up. Now It Must Rebuke Him On His Surrendering Of Ukraine To Putin
War In Venezuela, Appeasement Of Putin, Congressional Death Threats – A Conversation With Rep. Adam Smith, Top Dem On House Armed Services
After His Epstein Humiliation, Trump Takes Putin’s Side In Ukraine, Threatens To Hang Democrats In Congress, Preps For War With Venezuela
Rep. Robert Garcia On The Epstein Files – How We Got Here, Where We Are Going
We Are Stronger Now, And Trump Is Weaker, Much, Much Weaker (New Video, Written Analysis)
Marine, Proud Mom, Candidate For Congress in Arizona 6 – Meet JoAnna Mendoza
Congress Delivers An Extraordinary Rebuke To A Weakened, Ailing, Failing Trump
Launching Our 2026 Winning The House Campaign – First Up, Christina Bohannan (IA-01)
A Failed, Unpopular Trumpism Is In Retreat On Many Fronts Now – And We Cannot Let Republicans Escape
My Morning Talk With Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen – Trump Is In A Lot Of Trouble And More Is Possible For Us Now
The Epstein Scandal Explodes, Trump Melts Down, Little Cracks Are Becoming Very Big Ones
Sunday Hopium – We Are Stronger No
Some Thoughts On What Comes Next
Epstein, Election Blowout, Failed Government – Trump And His Presidency Are In Deep Trouble
House Rs Slink Back Into The Capital, Grijalva Gets Sworn In Today, Epstein: Trump “Knew About The Girls,” Understanding Strong And Weak
Katie Phang Dropped By For A Very Spirited Discussion About What Happened This Past Week And Where We Go From Here
Republicans Come Out Of The Elections And Shutdown Battered And Weakened, And Will Now Have To Defend The Indefensible
“We Have A Stronger Hand To Play” – My Conversation With Stuart Stevens About Where We Go From Here
OK. The Senate Voted To Re-Open The Government. What Do We Do Now? Some Early Thoughts
We Need To Hit The Phones Tomorrow, And Be Very, Very Loud
Sunday Hopium – Recapping A Very Important Week In Our Politics
Despite Election Blowout Trump Chooses To Keep Malevolently Harming The American People, Doubling Down On A Politics The Country Just Rejected
Trump’s Government Has Failed, His Powers Are Ebbing, And For The Good Of The Country Democrats Must Become More Ambitious Now
Blue Wave, Enormous Margins, Clear Repudiation Of Trump And Republicans – My 2025 Election Recap (Video, Written Analysis)
Joyous 2025 Election Recaps With Jen Rubin & Norm Eisen, Tom Bonier, And Charlie Dingman The Chair Of The Maine Dem Party
In A Blue Wave Election Americans Deliver A Powerful Rebuke Of Trump And Republicans Across The Country
It’s Election Day – Let’s Bring It Home, Everyone!!!!!
Senator Tim Kaine On The Fight To Repeal Trump’s Tariffs, The Coming Battle Over The War Powers Act, And His Optimism About Virginia
Trump Limps And Stumbles Into What’s Going To Be A Very Consequential Week In American Politics
Sunday Hopium – Democrats Rally Across The Country As Sad, Sundowning And Deeply Unpopular Donald Stays Home
Winning These November Elections, David Pepper Previews 2026 In Ohio, A Declining Trump Goes All In On “More For M…
Senate Rebukes Trump On Tariffs (Again), Encouraging New Polls, AZ Rep. Yassamin Ansari Joins Us To Talk Epstein, The Cowardly Speaker, And Her Fight Against ICE
Little Cracks Are Becoming Bigger Cracks – GOP Discontent With Trump Is Growing, Becoming Far More Visible
“Policies that have defended America, that have kept us secure, are being undermined by this President and his foreign policy” – A conversation with Senator Jeanne Shaheen
The Senate Rebukes Trump On His Tariffs – Let’s Keep Making Our Calls People! Little Cracks Are Becoming Bigger Cracks As Rs Begin To Buckle Under His Many Failures & Escalating Madness
Our Ass-Kicking Friend Anderson Clayton Dropped By For A Chat This Afternoon……
Senate To Vote On Trump’s Terrible Tariffs – Need To Make Our Calls!, States Sue To Get SNAP Funded, Little Cracks Can Become Big Cracks
With Our Elections A Week Away Our Malevolent Leader Pushes The Country Deeper Into Crisis
Sunday Hopium – The Importance Of Voting Early, Closing Strong And Winning The November Elections, Some Reminders Of Why We Need To Fight With Everything We Got
“Three Reasons I Still Have Hope For America” – A Conversation With Garrett Graff, Award-Winning Journalist and Historian
Sherrill And Spanberger Have Sturdy Leads, Ds Now More Trusted On The Economy, Voters Backing Ds On Health Care Fight, Let’s Close Strong Everyone!
Will Congressional Republicans Stick With Trump As His Failures, Corruption, Unpopularity, and Madness Become Impossible To Ignore? We Will See (New Video And Written Analysis)
Rep. Janelle Bynum On Senator Merkley’s Speech, Portland’s Spirited Resistance, and How “People Are Looking To Us For Hope And A Sense Of Fight”
Senator Merkley Speaks Out Against Trump’s Escalating Authoritarianism, Notes On The GOP’s Ongoing Budget Fiasco, Winning The November Elections
Adelita Grijalva Joins Hopium For An Update….
Stuart Stevens Discusses His Trip To Ukraine, The Senate Appears To Be In Play, Dems Up 7 In New Gallup Party ID Report
We Have 15 Days To Win The November Elections – Let’s Get To Work Everyone!!!!!!
7 Million Proud Patriots Joyously, Peacefully Marched, Rallied, And Protested Yesterday
A Message From Abigail Spanberger To The Hopium Community, Terrible New Polling For The Ailing Trump, Good Luck Today Everyone!
Sherrill and Spanberger Have Sturdy Leads in NJ/VA, Southcom Commander Resigns, Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13) Drops By, No Kings!!!!!!!!!
As His Powers Ebb Trump Has Chosen Autocracy Over Democracy. It Is Up To Us To Stop Him (Video And Analysis)
The limits of Trump’s power — My conversation with Adam Klasfeld of All Rise News
Janet Mills Jumps Into Maine Senate Race, DNC Launches Campaign Against Trump’s Tariffs, Little Cracks Can Become Big Cracks
Will Republicans Ever Pass A Budget?
War, Decline, Dysfunction – And Ridicule – At Home
Sunday Hopium – Meet Maine Democratic Party Chair Charlie Dingman, More Bad Polling For Trump, A Note About My Leon Krauze Interview
Leon Krauze On María Corina Machado’s Courage, The Global Fight For Democracy, And Trump’s “Attack On Hispanic and Latino Identity In This Country”(Video)
Democrats Are Winning The Big Arguments With Trump, And Need To Keep Fighting (New Video And Analysis)
Hopium PM – AG Letitia James’ Powerful Response To Trump: “I am not fearful – I am fearless”
Sherrill Rocks Her Debate, Schumer:”Every Day Gets Better For Us,” Greg Sargent On Challenging Trump’s Escalating Authoritarianism More Forcefully
The Reckoning For Trump’s Terrible Presidency Has Begun
Trump And The Rs Are Not Winning, MTG Rips Into GOP Over Health Care, New Ads And Videos Are Flying in NJ and VA
My New Conversation With Senator Cory Booker
Fighting Eric Swalwell Drops By Hopium To Talk The Budget Battle, Cowardly Rs, Trump’s Rising Authoritarianism, And Winning The November Elections
Every Democrat Must Now Join The Fight Against Trump’s Escalating, Dangerous, Traitorous Authoritarianism
Sunday Hopium – Brutal New CBS Poll For Trump, Fighting Their Rising Authoritarianism More Aggressively, A Wonderful New Conversation With James Talarico
Dems Have Come Out Of The Box Strong, Spanberger Up 12, Trump Disappears (Again), New Conversations W/Gavin Newsom, Rep. Adam Smith, Randi Weingarten, And More……
Rep. Adam Smith Unloads On Trump, Hegseth And Their Weakening Of America
Dems Are Forcing Trump To Take Responsibility For The Harm He’s Doing To The Country (New Video And Analysis)
Reps. Landsman and Veasey Talk The Trump Shutdown, The Fight For Health Care, And Their New Podcast “The Fly-In”
Leaders Schumer and Jeffries Are Right To Force Trump And The Rs To Take Responsibility For The Harm They’re Doing To The Country
My Conversation With Governor Gavin Newsom
Military Leaders Sound The Alarm About Trump’s Retreat From The World And Inward Turn, More Notes On Winning The Fall
A Wonderful Conversation With Randi Weingarten About Her New Book -“Why Fascists Fear Teachers”
We Must Keep The Military Off Our Streets, Schumer and Jeffries Meet With Trump, Moldova Votes For Europe
Sunday Hopium – Rest Up Folks, We Have A Big Week Ahead Of Us
A New Conversation With Allison Gill, We Are Having The Fight With Trump We All Wanted To Have, A Big Week For Jimmy Kimmel And The Opposition
Trump Has A Bad Week And He Takes It Out On All Of Us, New Interview With MA AG Andrea Campbell, Sherrill Up 7 In New Poll
We Are Having The Fight With Trump We All Wanted To Have. Now, We Have To Go Win It (New Video And Analysis)
Kimmel’s Powerful Return, Newsom Rocks Colbert, An Addled Trump Chickens Out, Staying Focused On Winning The Fall
Kimmel Returns, Trump Embarrasses, Dems Are Starting To Lean Hard Into Rising Costs And Tariffs
Sherrill Rocks Her Debate, Rs Have Chosen Shutdown and Chaos, The World Comes To New York And A Very Different America
Trump Enters The Budget Debate In A Weak Position, A Conversation With Alaska Dem Chair Eric Croft
Trump Has Shown Us Who He Is. Time For Us To Show The American People And The World Who We Are (Video and Analysis)
We Must Demand Courage, The People Have Rejected Trump’s Strongman Politics, Terrific New Tariff Ad In Alaska
Launching Hopium’s New Audacious Expansion Fund And A New Discussion With Nikki Fried, The Chair Of The Florida Democratic Part
Some Reflections On Finding A Higher Gear, Building A Stronger Movement, And Winning The Fall
Trump’s Agenda Of Sabotage, Plunder, Chaos, And Betrayal Is Coming For Red States And Red Places Too
Sunday Hopium – Trump Is Unpopular, Weakened, And Losing All The Arguments That Matter
It’s Been A Hard Week – Let’s Take It Easy This Weekend Everyone
Trump Has Failed The Country, And We Desperately Need Something Better
Inflation Surges, Trump’s Economic Plan Has Failed, And A New Video Talk -“Our North Star Must Continue To Be Democracy, Rule Of Law, And Freedom”
Trump’s Disastrous Appeasement Of Putin Has Made America Less Safe, Senator Ruben Gallego On The GOP’s Betrayal Of Latino Families (Video)
Richard Badalamente
BCDCC Officers and Subcommittee Chairs for 2025-2026
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