Category: Events

Steve Bloom of the Cumberland County Democratic Committee has pulled together a list of candidates and contact information for the Nov. 2 election. Find your candidate and be sure to vote, either early via absentee ballot or on Election Day!

There will be a special caucus to nominate a candidate for the Democratic Party for the House seat for District 113. All registered Democrats in 113 (part of Falmouth and the North Deering neighborhood of Portland) are encouraged to attend.

The caucus will be at the United Universal Church on Allen Avenue in Portland on Sunday, July 25 at 7 p.m.

Come join the Cumberland County Democrats at 6 p.m. Friday, July 23, at the Sea Dogs Game!

The CCDC has reserved the Pavilion at Hadlock Field, the Sea Dog stadium, for a pregame picnic.  For the $24 price of admission you get a ticket to the game and unlimited food and non-alcoholic drinks for one hour before the game until one hour after the first pitch.  Everyone had a blast last year, so join us in the fun!

We need to reserve seats in advance so please contact CCDC Chair, Reid Scher if you plan to attend at ccdcchair@gmail.com or 329-5843 no later than July 12.

We would also like to invite you to join the Host Committee for the event, with a donation of $100, which will include your ticket to the game.  If you would like to be a member of the host committee, either contact Reid or write to:

Host Committee
CCDC
3 Fox Hall Road
Falmouth, ME  04105

Finally, we will have someone special throwing out the first pitch of the game…More information to follow.

We look forward to seeing you!!!

The primaries are over and we have our nominee, Libby Mitchell, a strong candidate for the general election.  However, if she is to win, it will require all of our efforts.  It’s easy to be lulled into a sense of security that the Republicans have nominated an extreme right wing candidate, Paul LePage, who apparently had the bulk of tea party support.  While we can be comforted by the fact that his desire to teach creationism in the schools and denial of global warming are out of the mainstream, he clearly tapped into something alive in the electorate, concerns about taxes and spending.  This was most clearly demonstrated by how Question 1 was framed and the strong vote to repeal the tax reform law.  LePage will run on these issues in the fall, which will resonate with a significant group of voters.  He also has the advantage that conservatives and tea partiers seem much more  motivated to vote this year.

There’s also a possibly greater threat to Libby, the independent candidate Eliot Cutler.  We saw Peter Mills begin the narrative last night that many will hope to carry into November, and that is that Libby is as extreme on the left as LePage is on the right, leaving only the independent choice in the middle.  We need to be very clear and work hard to dispel the notion that there’s anything radical about Libby Mitchell.  She represents the best of the Democratic Party, a smart, hard-working legislator and leader, who understands how to make government work for the people, as opposed to “getting government out of people’s lives,” which translates to getting out of the way of corporations and the rich.  This will be a tough race, but eminently winnable if we all work hard in the fall.

Reid Scher, Chairperson

Hello All,

We just completed a great convention in Lewiston, representative of all the best of the Democratic Party. There were several highlights:

Unlike what we saw at the Republican convention, we adopted a platform that is representative of the best values of American society, what makes us proud to be Democrats. (…and no schoolrooms were defaced…) Our gubernatorial candidate won’t have to run away from an extremist platform, but will be able to proudly speak to its principles and proposals. The platform is now  posted on this site.

We heard from our state-wide elected officials, Governor Baldacci and Representatives Pingree and Michaud, who represent the best of Maine. We also heard from Tim Kaine, the chair of the national Democratic Party and the immediate past governor of Virginia.

We heard from a great group of gubernatorial candidates: Pat McGowan, Libby Mitchell, Steve Rowe and Rosa Scarcelli. The outcome of the competitive primary (remember to vote…either early or on June 8!!!) assures us a great candidate in November.

We met a number of great candidates for the State Senate and House, who will work to strengthen the Democratic majority in the legislature. All of the candidates will be posted on our website after the primaries are complete.

We elected a great group of representatives to the Democratic State Committee, of whom we can all be proud: Artis Bernard, John Bernard, Heather Curtis, Ed Democracy, Pam Fenrich, Wayne Hollingsworth, Dottie Melanson, Steve Minkowsky, Michael Shaughnessy and Pat Washburn. This strong, diverse group assures that we will be well represented at the state committee.

We look forward to building on the momentum of the convention in the CCDC. I’ve referenced the website; we’ve had a great addition to the CCDC, Pat Washburn, our new webmaster. Pat is extremely talented and has done a fantastic job in the re-design. We’ll be working to post regularly and utilize the site as a communication tool for the county. We encourage you to forward information about your town committees and local events, so that we can share our good work.

We’ll be having our summer event at a Sea Dogs game this year. Everyone had a blast last year; we’ll be providing details shortly and look forward to your joining us. We’re looking to form a fundraising committee, to help us support our fantastic candidates this year and in future campaigns.

Finally, supporting one of our local committees, the South Portland Democratic Committee will be holding a unity dinner on Wednesday, June 16. All of the gubernatorial candidates will be present to set the tone for a great fall campaign. Please let me know if you’d like more details.

As ever, let me know if you have any questions at ccdcchair@gmail.com or at 329.5843. We look forward to seeing you soon!!!

—
Reid Scher, Chairperson

Were you a delegate to the Maine Democratic Convention? Did you bring a camera with you? E-mail the webmaster, Pat Washburn, with your photos and video from the event, and we’ll make a gallery here on the Cumberland County site.

South Portland Democrats are planning a spaghetti supper Wednesday, June 16, to solidify Democratic support for the winner of the June 8 primary. All four of the current candidates for governor will be present, win or lose, and Gov. John Baldacci — whose political fortunes are closely tied to spaghetti — will be there as well.

The event is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. June 16 at Events on Broadway, 729 Broadway in South Portland.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. They’re expected to sell out, so get yours today by calling Matt Beck at 232-1976 or John Jamieson at 239-8687.

Cumberland County delegates caucused today at the state Democratic convention and elected the following people to serve as state committee members:

Men:
John Bernard
Ed Democracy
Wayne Hollingsworth
Stan Minkowsky
Michael Shaughnessy

Women:
Artis Bernard
Heather Curtis
Pam Fenrich
Dottie Melanson
Patricia Washburn

Cumberland County has a number of openings for delegates at the Maine Democratic Convention, to be held May 21-22 in Lewiston. (Information, including registration info, at mainedems.org.)

We will be holding an election to fill vacancies at our May 2 meeting. Even if you won’t be able to make the meeting, please e-mail County Chair Reid Scher at ccdcchair@gmail.com if you would like to become a delegate or if there are individuals you would like to nominate at that meeting. We will be looking to fill as many vacancies as we can!

Please join us for a unique opportunity to be part of the audience for the 2010 campaign season’s very first live, televised debate.

Wednesday, April 28 at 7 p.m.
Maine Irish Heritage Center
34 Gray Street in Portland (corner of State Street)

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
All audience members must be seated by 6:30 p.m.
Broadcast begins at 7 p.m.
Reception begins at 8 p.m.

A meet-and-greet cocktail reception with the candidates will be held on site immediately following the debate. Come support your favorite candidates for governor!

Proceeds from this event will benefit Victory 2010, the Maine Democratic Party’s Coordinated Campaign. There is no charge to attend the debate, but tickets are required for admittance.

You may purchase tickets for the post-debate cocktail reception with the candidates or make an optional donation to Victory 2010 to help offset the cost of this event.

Reserve free tickets, buy reception tickets or donate to Victory 2010

Reserve your tickets before April 27 to avoid waiting in line outside before the debate.