Notes from the Chair | August 4, 2022
PCDP would like to congratulate all Democratic candidates who have secured their nomination in the primary thus far. More on that after some very exciting news: we are in escrow to sell our Headquarters building. It was a difficult but necessary decision to put the building up for sale, due to the Headquarters space failing to comply with ADA standards and lacking sufficient parking and lighting at night, a dangerous combination for volunteers and staff.
Our transition timeline will have us moved into a new building by March of 2023. We are very excited about this new chapter in the history of PCDP, and will keep you updated on our progress in finding a new headquarters.
We now (for the most part) have our Democratic nominees for the 2022 general election, and we know who our challengers are.
Many of Trump’s endorsed candidates have won their primaries, and they will be putting every effort into taking Democratic seats in November. We will have to work twice as hard in order to keep and gain candidates who are dedicated to preserving our democracy, which includes the key fundamentals of:
- Protecting public school funding
- Protecting reproductive rights
- Supporting a path to citizenship for immigrants, protecting DACA recipients, and halting constructing of the border wall
- Reaffirming the existence of climate change and finding effective, science-based solutions
- Creating more gun legislation to protect the lives of Arizonans from yet another mass shooting
Now the work begins. It is our job to get our Democratic candidates over the line. All the LDs are ready to make that happen.
July brought good news for Democrats, including a drop in gas prices and the passage of a historic climate action package which will invest hundreds of billions of dollars into the green energy industry. In retaliation, Republican senators delayed passage of the PACT act which was supposed to allocate funds to support veterans needing care for toxic exposure while fighting our nation’s wars. Eventually PACT passed, but not without heavy criticism thrown at Republican leadership.
Once again, we have a petition to sign here at the office. Learn more about the effort to stop voucher expansion here.
We are also busy organizing our annual Udall dinner. This year will be the first in-person Udall event since 2019. Invitations have gone out, tables are being sold, and tickets are still available! We have an exciting evening planned, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the Desert Diamond Casino on September 17 at 6pm. Click here to buy a ticket.
There is an opportunity to turn AZ blue in ‘22 because of radical Republicans running for office. We cannot allow anyone who believes the election was stolen to remain in office, especially in a position like the Secretary of State – which is wholly responsible for the integrity and transparency of our elections process.
We must continue to point out how dangerous it will be for Arizonans if extreme candidates like Mark Finchem are elected to positions of power; he peddles the Big Lie, is an active member of the Oath Keeper militia, supports QAnon, and was present at the violent Capitol insurrection. We have less than 100 days to get this message across. Let’s get to work!
Bonnie Heidler
Chair, PCDP