Barack Obama--Party like a Barack Star!

Senator Barack Obama will be visiting Tallahassee on Friday, August 24th.

He will be hosting a fundraiser rally at the FAMU Gaither Gym.

Doors will open at 12:00pm.

Tickets will be $10 for students with a VALID ID and $20 for others.

To RSVP click here https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/tallahassee

The LCYDs have a FACEBOOK Group now too...sign up for the group if you have an account!

CTP

State House District 5!

The St. Pete Times is running a story about Sheriff Johnny Mac from Jackson County. He is running to replace Rep. Don Brown, and I think he will win!

Here is the text of the article...


Can a Democratic sheriff break into a Republican stronghold?
By Steve Bousquet
Published July 16, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - For the past decade, Republicans have solidified their power in Florida by offering Panhandle voters a steady diet of conservative candidates.
As a result, what was once the bastion of such Democratic giants as Gov. Reubin Askew, Sen. Dempsey Barron and U.S. Rep. Bob Sikes has become their political Siberia.
Panhandle voters long ago rejected what they saw as a liberal national Democratic Party. Local Democratic candidates faced a brutal choice: Switch parties or face certain defeat. Many switched.
But now a sprawling rural legislative district west of the Apalachicola River poses a test of whether Democrats can break the Republicans' monopoly in this close-knit region of hunting, fishing and white-steepled churches.
The Democrats' possible savior is John McDaniel, who for nearly three decades has been sheriff of Jackson County.
"Johnny Mac," as he is known, is running for the District 5 House seat being vacated by Don Brown, a feisty Republican from DeFuniak Springs, who will be term-limited out of office in 2008.
McDaniel, 66, said he had made up his mind to run for the Legislature before the horrific day last January when his wife Mellie was shot to death outside their home by a rampaging murder suspect who also killed a sheriff's deputy.
"I've got 28 years in this business and I feel I've got something to offer," McDaniel said. "I want to do good for my people."
A proud Democrat and lifelong resident of Marianna, McDaniel says he would never switch parties. But he twice endorsed Republican Gov. Jeb Bush.
The district is more than 100 miles long and stretches from Marianna on the east to Fort Walton Beach on the west, past two giant military bases and through such towns as Bonifay, Chipley and Two Egg.
It's the only legislative district that borders two states: Georgia and Alabama. Along here, on U.S. 90, a young Lawton Chiles set out on his "walking campaign" through Mossy Head, Cottondale and Ponce de Leon that took him to the U.S. Senate in 1970.
The district, bisected by I-10, is home to about 5,000 more Democrats than Republicans. But it votes distinctly Republican in state and national races.
So far, three Republicans are running for Brown's seat: Brad Drake, who served as Brown's legislative aide; Sherry Campbell, an Okaloosa County commissioner and an accountant; and Andrew Dwyer, owner of a janitorial company.
Former House Speaker Allan Bense of Panama City, a Republican, said he advised McDaniel not to run for the seat because there's simply too much history on the Republicans' side.
"Johnny Mac is a great guy and I've known him a long time, but I think he faces an uphill battle in that district," Bense said.
But Democrats say McDaniel's deep roots in the area and his law-and-order profile make him a strong candidate.
Thom Eldon, a Democratic pollster, said McDaniel is the rare Democratic candidate who will make voters reconsider their partisan preferences.
"Any Democrat who wears a gun on his hip is going to be popular in the district," Eldon said.
"Authentic" is the description used by Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, the House minority leader, to describe McDaniel.
Brown, also a McDaniel admirer, said the sheriff's biggest challenge is not political, but geographical: doing the hard travel and investing the time to make himself known in the western part of the district.
"I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to say it's a safe Republican seat," Brown said. "Historically, the district has performed Republican, but in these times I don't think anybody would be well-advised to take anything for granted."
McDaniel spent the Fourth of July shaking hands in DeFuniak Springs in the central part of the district, and said he was surprised that people recognized him from local TV news. His GOP rivals have already begun walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors.
After his wife's death, McDaniel said he prayed about what to do next in his life. He wants to change the way the FCAT is used to grade students, emphasize vocational education more and improve mental health programs for jail inmates.
"The door seemed to be opening up for me to run for this job."
Times staff writer Alex Leary and researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.
[Last modified July 16, 2007, 19:06:11]

Run Johnny, Run!

10.8 million young people voted in 2006, a nearly two million vote increase from 2002

Breaking News: Census Figures Confirm 2006 Jump in Young Voter Turnout

For the second major election in a row, 18-29 year olds' turnout was up in 2006, growing by nearly two million votes over 2002 levels

June 15, 2007- New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, for the second major election in a row, young voter turnout rose in 2006. An analysis of the data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)at the University of Maryland confirms early estimates of increased young voter turnout and finds that10.8 million 18-29 year olds voted in 2006, a nearly two million vote increase from 2002 levels (8.9 million). This is following young voters' large turnout increase in 2004, when 18-29 year olds cast 4.3 million more ballots than in 2000 and increased their turnout rate by nine percentage points, more than twice the overall electorate's 4-point increase. CIRCLE's analysis also shows that while turnout was up among voters of all ages in 2006 (by 1.7 percentage points), 18-29 year olds yet again increased their turnout by more, jumping by 3 percentage points from 2002 to 2006 - nearly twice the increase of the overall electorate.

"The official figures confirm that a new generation has arrived at the polls and is an electorate to watch in 2008," said Kat Barr, Research Director at Young Voter Strategies. "On Election Day 2006, 10.8 million 18-29 year olds voted, two million more than in the previous midterm election. The increased civic engagement and political interest of the Millennial Generation, outreach from campus and community organizations, and attention from campaigns and candidates in 2006 all came together to build on the momentum begun by big young voter turnout in 2004. Young adults are an electorate that campaigns and candidates must reach out to in order to win on Election Day 2008 and beyond."

In 2006, Young Voter Strategies coordinated 15 nonpartisan organizations, including the PIRGs' New Voters Project, Rock the Vote, Women's Voices. Women Vote., and Black Youth Vote!, to register more than 520,000 18-30 year olds. The three million dollar project, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, constituted the largest nonpartisan youth-targeted registration effort in any midterm election. In addition, in 2006 several campaigns targeted young voters as part of strategies to win tight elections, as outlined in the new YVS publication Young Voter Mobilization Tactics II. Experts agree that the combination of an engaged generation, nonpartisan outreach, and campaign attention played a significant role in increased young voter turnout in 2004 and 2006, and will be key to young voter turnout in 2008.

For more information, see CIRCLE's factsheet or contact Kat Barr at Young Voter Strategies: 202-994-9528, katbarr@gwu.edu

More and More Young Voters

YDA has linked in several news articles today on their website. More young people are participating in our democracy, becoming political active and voting.

This is the energy that we are trying to work with to make our organization here stronger, and across the state.

Click on the Title of this post and it will take you to the YDA Article. The Article also links to this story from this weekend: Case Studies in Young Voter Mobilization from Future Majority. This article is discussing the same trend.

Check out this link from YDA. It also gives the links to lots of information that will help you when talking to people about what YDA, FYD's and the Leon County Young Democrats are trying to do, and when fundraising.

And this link is Democratic Party Youth Statistics

Some of the highlights:

• In the 10 most competitive 2004 battleground states, turnout was 64.4% among young voters, compared to 48% across all other states. Like older voters, young people will turn out in higher numbers when targeted.
• Young people care about politics. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 77% of 18-29 years olds say they are interested in local politics, up 28 points from 1999, and 87% are interested in national affairs.
• In 2006, young voters ages 18-29 supported Democratic candidates by an impressive 58%, six points higher than the voting-age population as a whole. Democrats made gains with young independents while Republicans lost ground with their young voters.
• Young people are increasingly self-identifying as Democrats. Unlike the general population, party identification has increased among young voters. In 2006, 43% of young voters called themselves Democrats as compared to 37% just two years ago. Among all ages, 38% identify as Democrats, up only two points from 2004.

I know it is a lot of links and things to read, but I hope that you take the time to look them over in the near future. The better educated we are, the better we can present ourselves in public. The more people will want to be a part of organization and work with us in the future.

Brevard County is trying to help in SD 3, you should too!

http://blog.brevardyoungdemocrats.org/2007/06/quick-update-brevard-can-help-in-sd3.html

Check out the Brevard YD blog post. Eddie, Beth and the rest of the Brevard YD's are working hard to help get the whole state motivated to call voters in the 3rd Senate District to make sure they are voting over the next 7 days.

Early voting started yesterday in SD 3. We need to make sure that everyone we know in SD 3 votes. If we turn out the voters we win!

If we win, then we are 1 seat closer to have the next Senate President be Sen. Al Lawson! And we have one more awesome Democrat in the state Senate!

Last night, Nora Herron, Barbara Henderson and Corinne Rubin hosted a great fundraiser for Suzan Franks. We are all working hard to make sure that Suzan, and the Democratic Party, win next Tuesday. I encourage you to do as much as you can also!

Get involved! Raise Money, Give Money, Canvass, Phone Bank, email! We can elect a Democrat in this seat!