Polk County Democratic Party Weekly Digest: Dec 12-18, 2022
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Polk County DEC Elections
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A message from the Polk County DEC Chair
Dear Polk County Democrats,
I (and many of you) have been pondering what happened in Florida/Polk County on November 8th (the 2022 Midterm Elections). On first blush, it appeared to be an almost statewide Democratic Party system failure. And as a DEC Chair, I am still waiting for a thorough data driven analysis which thoroughly explains the failure. In the meantime, we look at Polk County. It should be noted that we suffered through the same general malaise and lack of enthusiasm as the rest of the state. The COVID pandemic and economy was hard on us. Money was hard to raise. Volunteers were reluctant to work. Candidates were hard to come by. But in the final analysis, we did come through with a couple of wins which stand
out in the light of the other more apparent failures:
- We did not lose complete control of our Polk County School Board to the CCDF (County Citizens Defending Freedom, an alt-right group fielding school board candidates in Polk County). Examples of counties that did lose control are Sarasota and Brevard, where their school boards have already fired their superintendents because of the new, far right members that just took office from this election cycle. Our children and school board staff lost a great advocate, Sarah Fortney. It should be noted that Rick Nolte (her CCDF opponent) has been accused of violating campaign finance laws in the process of defeating her, which still have not been resolved (for more on this subject go to www.substack.com and search for “Public Enemy Number 1” and/or Billy Townsend). But, Sara Jones, a Lake Wales attorney, ran a great, amazingly close, first-time out campaign. Incumbent Kay Fields, maintained her seat. And, Lisa Miller, a highly respected child disability activist and incumbent School Board Member, kept her seat because of the work and votes of Polk County Democrats.
- Democrats were the core vote for winning the 2022 Polk Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Referendum (see www.polkforever.com for more info). This was a huge win for Polk County residents now and in the future! This small additional property tax will allow for protection of additional environmentally sensitive lands, a bid deal in a county that is developing at such a rapid rate.
- First time candidate, Polk Democratic Executive Committee First Vice-Chair, Veysel Dokur, ran a spirited and hard-hitting campaign for State Senate Seat 12.
This is the bright side of the story. The rest of the story is not so bright. Overall voter turnout in Polk County was abysmal, down 9.5% from 2018. White voter turnout was down 4.8%. More disturbingly, Black turnout was down 20.3% and Hispanic turnout was down 14.2%. Bearing in mind that turnout in these minority communities is already lower than in the white community and these communities often support Democratic candidates, this was a huge loss of potential voters.
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Take Away Message: Current political reality in Polk County is becoming more apparent. Progressive, middle of the road candidates and issues can win countywide election if Democrats form the core vote and some NPAs (No Party Affiliated voters) and Republicans are added to the mix. Billy Townsend (mentioned above) is calling this the “Decency Coalition” and I echo that sentiment. We can win if we tend to the middle and fashion campaigns that appeal to the majority. It should also be noted that Polk County is a very large, diverse county. There are political micro-climates within the county (such as in the four very different State House districts and within our 17 incorporated areas) where political situations can vary significantly. Understanding this is critical to success as well.
We had a great group of Democrats volunteering and working this election cycle. Many of our core volunteers worked day after day doing whatever was asked of them and more. More than 40 Voter Protection Team members worked over the course of 23 days providing protection to voters throughout Polk County. Some of our members worked for the Polk County Supervisor of Elections office as poll workers, a critically important job for our voting system. Club and caucus presidents kept their members engaged in interesting projects designed to get Democrats elected. We had two paid Florida Democratic Party (FDP) field organizers, Michelle Bradley and Eileen Scheffel. Our homegrown Democratic political organizer Taylor Aguilera worked with us in Polk County until she was promoted to a statewide position. All of these FDP organizers were top notch and worked hand in glove with our local political party, something not echoed by activists in other counties around the state.
Each individual was important, but it was as a team that we performed. I personally made great friends and worked with new colleagues that I will value for the rest of my life. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you!
Do we have a great deal of work to do in Polk County? Yes. Of course, we do. However, we have built a much stronger, more resilient Democratic Party in this county over the past few years. Come January, we will start mobilizing again - we have municipal elections in April and November of this year and a Presidential election coming in November 2024. We need your help because . . . Together We Win!
During this Holiday Season, we need to rest a little, socialize a little, and laugh a lot. Happy Holiday Greetings to you and your loved ones!
Catherine Price
Chair, Polk DEC
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Become an advocate for upcoming legislative session
Learn how you can be an effective legislative advocate for trans+ and gender justice during this next Florida Legislative Session, during an online training session on Dec. 15, 7-8:30 pm. Click this link for more information: FL Trans+ Gender Justice Ambassador Training | FC4TL.
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Democratic Party of Polk County, Club & Caucus Links
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If you would like to know more about a caucus or club which does not have a hyperlink, please email PolkCountyDemocrats@gmail.com
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Paid Political Advertisement for the Democratic Party of Polk County
6039 Cypress Gardens, PMB 328, Winter Haven, FL 33884
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