December Newsletter: A lot of work to do!

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November Elections: Congratulations to Senator-Elect Deon Tedder!

In addition to many non-partisan municipal elections, November 7th saw the Special Election for SC Senate District 42.  We are thrilled to congratulate Senator-Elect Deon Tedder on keeping this seat in Democratic hands and OUTPERFORMING the expected partisanship of the district by 6% (President Biden won this district with 76% and Senator-Elect Tedder came in at 82%).

Charleston County will be well served to have Deon Tedder representing us in the State Senate and we are excited to work with him to make progress in our state.

November Elections: Understanding the Charleston Mayor’s Runoff

Unfortunately last month a Republican former State Representative, William Cogswell, defeated incumbent Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg.  Even though this was a non-partisan race, in the runoff the Charleston County Democratic Party recommended and actively supported Mayor Tecklenburg’s reelection because his values typically align with Democrats on key issues, he previously served as Chairman of our County Party, and Mayor-elect Cogswell’s has a known GOP affiliation.

Although Mayor Tecklenburg ultimately lost the runoff (by a very narrow 49-51% margin), there is evidence to suggest our efforts made a positive impact.  Our Party rallied volunteers and sent over 50,000 texts, phone calls, and emails in an effort to turnout Democratic voters in the runoff election.  Key local Democratic leaders like Clay Middleton and Congressman Jim Clyburn rallied around the Mayor as well.

The result was the 2nd highest vote total Mayor Tecklenburg ever achieved in the six times he’s appeared on the ballot, and a 3,425 vote (17%) increase in his vote total from the Nov 7 General Election to the Nov 21 Runoff.

Given the two week timeframe to accomplish all of this (CCDP did not get involved until the Runoff phase of the race given the presence of multiple Democrats on the General Election ballot), we feel a silver lining here is proof that our local party’s turnout operation can provide a substantial boost to our candidates – even though, unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to get the Mayor over the top in this particular race.

None of this is to say we should be satisfied with a loss (we aren’t), or take pride in having come up short (we don’t), but local Democrats need to stay motivated and engaged and know their efforts matter, as they did here.

First in the Nation Presidential Primary Around the Corner!

South Carolina Democrats now have the exciting honor of holding the First in the Nation 2024 Democratic Presidential Primary.  We’ve earned this distinction through a multi-decade history of high-turnout and well-run primaries with an electorate that reflects the national Democratic Party, and results that produce nominees – its been 36 years since the winner of the SC Democratic Primary didn’t end up on the national ticket.

It is critically important for SC Democrats that we live up to this responsibility and are actively engaged with our party and in our Presidential Primary.  To do that, there are already some key things you need to know:

• Voter Registration Deadline: Thursday Jan 4.  Anyone who will be 18 years old by the general election on November 5, 2024 is eligible to register and vote NOW.  Yes, that means 17 year-olds can register and vote in this primary if they will turn 18 on or before November 5th next year.  Register to vote at SCvotes.org!
• Early Voting: Monday Jan 22 – Friday Feb 2.  Exact times and locations to come (check our January 1 newsletter for that), but be sure to vote during this window if you are unable to vote on Primary Day, Feb 3.
• Primary Day: Saturday Feb 3.  Have the privilege of being the first voters in the country to begin the 2024 election cycle, stop Donald Trump once and for all, and send the Biden-Harris administration back to Washington for another 4 years!  Confirm your voter registration is up-to-date at SCvotes.org.
• Get involved: TODAY!  Be sure that you’re on our volunteer & email list as we organize events and activities leading up to the Primary over the next two months.

Meet a HUGE Democratic Rising Star!

We’ve got an exciting event this weekend: Michigan State House Speaker Joe Tate will be in town early next week and generously offered to co-host a small fundraiser with us when he arrives on Sunday afternoon.

If you don’t know much about Speaker Tate, please take a moment to read up on him (here). He’s the son of a teacher & firefighter, former NFL player, Marine Corps Veteran, MBA Graduate, first Democratic Speaker in Michigan since 2010 and their first ever African American Speaker. He’s a true rising star in our party and we’re glad to have him visit!

We’ll be hosting him at the Starlight Motor Inn (3245 Rivers Ave., North Charleston) this Sunday Dec. 3 from 3-5pm. Grab a ticket below!

Charleston Democrats Holiday Party & Other Upcoming Events!

Join us for some holiday cheer!  No agendas or speeches – just local Democrats getting together to enjoy a holiday gathering, reflect on a big 2023 coming to a close and getting ready for all the critical work to be done in 2024!

Other big upcoming events where we need your help:

• Dec 3: Meet & Greet w/ Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate
• Dec 4: Charleston County Democratic Women Annual Social
• Dec 14: Charleston Democrats Holiday Party
• Jan 1: March with us in the Emancipation Day Parade
• Jan 15: March with us (again!) in the MLK Parade

***Note as of this writing Mobilize, the site which typically collects our RSVPs is having technical difficulties so RSVP links will be provided to several of these events once their website is back up and running.

More details for each below!

Stay Current on Charleston County Democratic Happenings!

As a reminder, this full newsletter is now being published monthly on the 1st of every month (apologies this one was a few days late), but there are several other ways to stay up-to-date on news, events, and other information in-between newsletters:

• Follow our Facebook page.
• Regularly check the Calendar and News pages on our website.
• Search for Charleston County Democratic Party events on Mobilize.
• We will still send ad-hoc email event reminders and action alerts as necessary throughout each month.

Upcoming Events 

Visit our calendar at charlestondemocrats.com/calendar for the most up-to-date listing of local events.