By Executive Director Cat Ripley
August in Tucson brought the heat – and thankfully, monsoon rains to cool it. It also brought heated Democratic mayoral and city council primaries. Now we’re gearing up to support our candidates in the November general election. Regina Romero is poised to make history as Tucson’s first Latina mayor! We at HQ could not be prouder and more excited. Congratulations to Lane Santa Cruz for running a beautiful campaign in Ward 1, to uncontested candidates Niki Lee, in Ward 4, and Ward 2’s incumbent Paul Cunningham. There’s plenty to do between now and the November 5 general election. Ballots go out on October 10.
A giant shout-out to all our Democratic candidates who worked so hard in the Old Pueblo heat: Randi Dorman, Steve Farley, Sami Hamed, Rob Elias, and Miguel Ortega. Those dedicated candidates and the hundreds of PCs and volunteers who knocked on doors, phone banked, raised and donated money, and attended events. They all contributed to the greater good of informing, motivating, mobilizing, and inspiring Pima County citizens to vote – and equally important, to care. We aren’t even close to being finished.
This fall, HQ becomes the county’s hub for canvassing and phone banking. We have mobilized the Labor Caucus and PCs who have been training and equipping themselves all year for this. Keep an eye on the pimadems.org website calendar for dates, times and places to rally and support your favorite candidates.
Everyone has a particular talent, skill, ability, desire, or interest, and we at HQ are eager to help you find a productive outlet for yours. In addition to election volunteering, you might consider pitching in at HQ, registering folks to vote at libraries and public events, writing for PCDP’s monthly newsletter, educating the public, driving, data entry, providing graphic design skills, shooting photographs and videos, joining a Democratic club or caucus, becoming a Catalina Dem-level donor, attending LD meetings, becoming a Precinct Committeeperson, or simply talking to your families and neighbors about the importance of educating
themselves on issues – and voting! Whatever it is, now is the time to do something big or small.
Our amazing HQ volunteers have spent the last six months educating themselves, recruiting and training new volunteers, organizing our resources, networking with donors, and improving the efficiency of this old but sturdy building. We are staged and ready for VICTORY in 2019 and 2020!
Moving forward: Tucson Pride on September 28; election night party on
November 5, and the Mayoral Inaugural Lunch Gala on December 2. Check the calendar for details.