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Hello Charleston Democrats,
I want to take a moment and thank all of you for your ongoing support, hard work, and commitment to our party. I’ve had the honor of being your Chair for just over four months now and I can tell you, without a doubt, that the most important thing we have going for us are the many people who believe in our cause and make sacrifices to move our state forward.
Something that I think will help our party improve, and the leadership that I’d like to offer, is a laser-like focus on winning elections. To that point, much of what you’ll see in this edition of the monthly newsletter, and several more to follow, will focus on the next (partisan) election coming up in Charleston County; the State Senate District 42 Special Election triggered by the resignation of Senator Marlon Kimpson.
You’ll see that over the coming months, almost all of our activities as a party will be focused on strong Democratic turnout in that Primary (September 5) and Runoff (if necessary September 19), and then supporting our Democratic nominee in the General Election (November 7). We have several ways to engage in those efforts including volunteer shifts, a volunteer appreciation event, and a candidate forum. I hope you’ll read more below for details about each of those opportunities, and several other announcements from our local party.
Thank you again for all you do to help move our county and state forward!
Sam Skardon
Chair
Volunteer to Register & Turnout Democratic Voters
Charleston Democrats are lucky to have three strong candidates running in the District 42 Special Election’s Democratic Primary; Rep. Wendell Gilliard, Rep. JA Moore, and Rep. Deon Tedder. The party is not endorsing and will not endorse any of these candidates; rather our interest as a Party is to engage as many Democratic voters as possible to drive a strong turnout in this election and future elections. To help us accomplish those critical goals, please click here to sign up for a shift – or several shifts!
Most shifts are either on Wednesdays around lunchtime, or Saturdays. The Wednesday shifts will be administrative (data entry, preparing call lists, etc.) and the Saturday shifts will be about voter contact (only phone calls & texting in August, given the heat, then a combination of calls
Volunteer to Help With Voter Outreach in Senate District 42
Senate District 42 Candidate Forum
We are excited to announce that the Charleston County Democratic Party will host a candidate forum for the three Democratic Candidates seeking to represent Senate District 42.  The forum will be held August 17 at 6:30pm in North Charleston at Royal Missionary Baptist Church. The audience will have the opportunity to submit questions, and we look forward to seeing you there!
RSVP to the Senate District 42 Democratic Candidate Forum
Volunteer Appreciation Event: FREE Night at the Riverdogs!We’re serious about being grateful for our volunteers and the importance of this work, so we’re offering FREE Riverdogs tickets to anyone who signs up to volunteer for the party in the Senate District 42 Special Election.
The game is Tuesday August 29th at 7:05pm and we’ll have a reserved (and shaded) patio for all of our volunteers who’d like to attend! Tickets also include hot dogs, hamburgers, other snacks, and soft drinks!
Just sign up to volunteer (your shifts can be before or after the 29th) and we’ll email you about tickets to the game!
Get your FREE Riverdogs tickets by Volunteering in District 42!
Community Service & Outreach: School Supply & Uniform Drive
The Charleston County Democratic Party is pleased to announce our 4th Annual Back to School Drive! Once again we’re partnering with local organizations to provide much needed school supplies to students in Charleston County. Last year was HUGE a success and we received lots of feedback requesting uniforms, so this year we’ll be focusing on school uniforms (in addition to providing supplies and backpacks).
We’ll be collecting physical donations at the following locations across the county through August 16th:
DOWNTOWN
- SIGHTSEE SHOP – 125 LINE ST.
WEST ASHLEY
- CCDP OFFICE – 1379 ASHLEY RIVER RD.
MOUNT PLEASANT
- LAW OFFICES OF RICHARD A. HRICIK – 941 HOUSTON NORTHCUTT BLVD. #204
NORTH CHARLESTON
- CHANGE UP CUTS BARBERSHOP – 5900 RIVERS AVE. STE. D4
- CONDON FAMILY LAW – 4840 CHATEAU AVE.
On Saturday, August 19th from 12-4p we’ll be giving away supplies and uniforms at the following sites:
DOWNTOWN
- GADSDEN GREEN HOMES – 14 ALLWAY ST.
- ROBERT MILLS MANOR – 67 BEAUFAIN ST.
- MARTIN PARK – 155 JACKSON ST.
NORTH CHARLESTON
- CHANGE UP CUTS BARBERSHOP – 5900 RIVERS AVE. STE. D4
We’ll need all the help we can get to sort and organize the donations as well as help with the distribution so be sure to SIGN UP HERE to help if you can.
Of course, we won’t be able to do any of this without your generous support, PLEASE CONSIDER A FINANCIAL DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE HERE or take advantage of the SC Tax Free Weekend August 4-6 to pick up some items to donate.
Sign up to help with our School Uniform & Supply Drive Here!
Can’t volunteer? Donate to the School Supply & Uniform Drive Here!
Nominations for First Vice Chair!
The Charleston County Democratic Party is accepting nominations for its First Vice Chair position. We are deeply grateful for the service of our outgoing First Vice Chair, Danielle Vinson, but unfortunately she is unable to continue serving for personal reasons. Her contributions have been greatly appreciated and will be deeply missed!
If you are interested in being considered for this role, please email a resume and cover letter to office@charlestondemocrats.com by 5:00pm Friday August 5th. Per the bylaws of the Democratic Party, the First Vice Chair must be a different gender than the current Chair, who is male. Therefore candidates who identify as male cannot be considered for this position at this time.
Upcoming Events  Visit our calendar at charlestondemocrats.com/calendar
for the most up-to-date listing of local events.
| THU AUG 17 6:30 PM | Senate District 42 Democratic Candidate Forum & Charleston County Democrats Monthly Meeting Join us to hear from the Democratic candidates running in the Special Election for State Senate District 42. Each candidate will speak for 20-30 minutes and take questions from the audience. This will also serve as the County Party’s August 2023 Monthly Meeting. RSVP>Royal Missionary Baptist Church> |
| TUE AUG 29 7:05 PM | Charleston Democrats Volunteer Appreciation Night at the Riverdogs! We’re offering FREE Riverdogs tickets to anyone who signs up to volunteer for the party in the Senate District 42 Special Election. We’ll have a reserved (and shaded) patio for all of our volunteers who’d like to attend! Tickets also include hot dogs, hamburgers, other snacks, and soft drinks! RSVP by signing up to Volunteer here>Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park> |
| THU 8:30AM | Coffee with Democrats Join fellow Democrats for a cup of coffee and great conversation on Thursdays.at Wildflour Pastry from 8:30-10 AM. No specific topics. Come for the whole time or just a little while. Wildflour Pastry> |
