WE NEED YOUR HELP. We are working hard in Alabama to make sure progressive ideas have a voice. Alabama children are growing up in a state that is among the worst in the nation for education, economic mobility, wages, teen pregnancy, gun violence, crime, incarceration, and health care.  Generations before them have heard and delivered the same ultra-conservative, racially tinged message for centuries. There is no place in the country that would benefit more from a progressive agenda than Alabama, but that requires new voices delivering a new message. That is what we are doing in the Limestone County Democratic Party.  We will not be on the map for the 2020 presidential election, but we will be fighting for legislative, legal, and social victories where they count the most. Please help. We need money for publications, advertising, campaigning for state and local candidates, and maintaining an office space. Nothing will change until the message changes. Thank you! 

Ken Hines, Chair, Limestone County Democrats

Read below for a full letter from the Chairman…

Hello,

My name is Ken Hines, and I am chairperson of the Limestone County, Alabama, Democrats.  If you are a progressive, I want to tell you about where I live. We are among the worst states in the nation for education, economic mobility, wages, teen pregnancy, gun violence, crime, incarceration, and health care.  We experience rampant voter suppression and gerrymandering designed to suppress votes by blacks and poor people. There are no Democrats, or any other progressives, elected to any state-wide office, and conservatives dominate our legislature and local governments.  Alabama has one of the highest rates of support for Trump and his policies in the nation. 

It is wrong to blame Alabamians and write off the state.  Rather, we should be delivering a progressive message, running and supporting progressive candidates, and encouraging voter registration and participation.  That is our goal in Limestone County, and why talking to you is important. We are already working hard. During the last election we supported twenty local, state, and federal candidates with voter registration, canvassing, phone banking, and staffing for campaign teams.  We have garnered a column in our local newspaper and created a group of people to put letters to the editor in that and other papers with local circulation. We are maintaining a year-round office to keep a prominent presence in the community. 

We need to do more, but doing so requires resources for rent, supplies and equipment, publications and advertising, fees, and recruitment.  We need to reach deeper into our black and Latino communities for membership and leadership. We need to expand on our already growing cadre of women and provide a louder voice for our LGBTQ citizens. 

Alabamians have heard one message for generations.  The people delivering it have called themselves Democrats, Dixiecrats, and Republicans, but they always deliver the same right-wing mantra tinged with racism, sexism, and economic discrimination.  We do not expect to change Alabama in a day or a year. We are committed to persevere, though, because we know that change will never occur unless we and others like us take up the challenge. We do not want another generation to endure the same circumstances as so many already have. 

Our needs are modest by most standards, but immense for us.  About $7,000 added to our current funds will allow us to meet our goals through the coming elections.  Being a progressive is not about winning elections. It is about improving the lives of people and preserving the earth that supports them.  Please help us achieve that here. 

Thank You!

Ken Hines, Chair, Limestone County Democrats