When we knock, the House is a lock

The primaries are over, summer is here, and it’s time to buckle down and take back the House and Senate. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer, and one of the most important things you can do is get out there and canvass. This means pounding the pavement and knocking on your neighbors’ doors to make sure everyone knows how critical their votes are in 2018.

Taking back the House starts with taking the 10th, as Virginia’s 10th Congressional District has two precincts right here in Hunter Mill. If we want Barbara Comstock out, canvassing for Sen. Jennifer Wexton will get it done.

Taking back the Senate means reelecting Tim Kaine, which takes everyone across all of Virginia. As we learned in 2016, we can take nothing for granted, and beating neo-Confederate Corey Stewart requires running up the score right here in Hunter Mill. Knocking doors helps us do that.

There are several canvassing events already scheduled (here are sign up links for Saturday and Sunday), and more are coming throughout the summer. Keep your eyes on the Hunter Mill calendar for these opportunities, and contact Maddy White at maddy.white@virginiavictory.org or 571-299-9490 if you have any questions or concerns about participating.

We look forward to seeing you out there!

Congrats to Sen. Wexton and Thanks to Hunter Mill Volunteers!

Virginia Senator Jennifer Wexton won yesterday’s Democratic primary and will face off against Republican Barbara Comstock in November in a contest to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congratulations Sen. Wexton!

And thank you to all the volunteers at Hunter Mill precincts within the 10th District who helped make sure the primary was smooth and fair. Next stop: November!

At Colvin: Jerry Poje, Charlie Breig, Phil Haber, Carol Hurlburt, Brigitte Warzana

At Fox Mill: Jean Taczak and Gail Minnick

Meet Maddy from the Coordinated Campaign

Maddy is a Field Organizer for the Hunter Mill District with the Virginia Democratic Coordinated Campaign and will be the point of contact for all volunteer events with the coordinated campaign. She graduated from James Madison University in 2017, and is excited to be back in her home turf for this campaign! She grew up in Reston so she has a spot in her heart for this region, and is incredibly excited to hit the ground running and really ramp up the grass-root efforts in this area.

The coordinated campaign is currently seeking “influencers” to recruit, train, and launch volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and voter registration drives in the Hunter Mill district.

If you’ve done this for past campaigns, or are interested in learning more, contact Maddy at maddy.white@virginiavictory.org or call/text at (571) 299-9490.

If you are unable to lead events but would still like to volunteer, please sign up at TimKaine.com/events or by contacting Maddy directly. She is looking forward to meeting Hunter Mill volunteers and working together to Keep Virginia Blue and flip some seats with this blue wave!

Hunter Mill Meeting on Wednesday, June 13

The June meeting of the Hunter Mill Democrats will take place at 7:30pm at the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Dr, Reston, VA 20190.

All are welcome to arrive at 7pm to meet one another and members of the executive board before the meeting begins at 7:30pm.

Please note that we will be voting on our draft budget at this meeting. Copies of the budget will be available at the meeting for review and discussion.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Democratic Primary Election TOMORROW, June 12

Don’t forget that there is a Democratic primary election TOMORROW, Tuesday June 12, 2018.

Two of Hunter Mill’s precincts—Fox Mill and Colvin—are within Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, and will therefore vote to determine the Democratic opponent to take on the incumbent, Republican Barbara Comstock.

The Fairfax Democrats’ news publication, The Blue View, has done a fantastic job of chronicling the Democratic candidates’ positions on various issues, and obtained a set of closing statements from the candidates’ campaigns. It is a great way to make sure your vote is an informed one.

No matter who you support, if you’re in a precinct with a primary election, make sure you get out there and vote. Primaries are critical in making sure the party’s nominees represent the will of its voters. Your vote makes a difference in the future of the party.

Learn more about the primary election at the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Stopping the ICE Deportation Pipeline in Fairfax County

Tomorrow, June 6, four outstanding panelists from Fairfax for All will discuss the current situation and their past and current efforts to keep the county from assisting ICE in deportations. It is not over with the end of the jail detention agreement. The event will be a report from the Fairfax for All Coalition of 10 immigration groups that have been working with the county. The panelists will discuss what Democrats should know and what we should do.

When: Wednesday June 6,  7 – 9 PM

Where: Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) Headquarters

Sponsored by the State and Local Committee of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee

Free. Sign up here. Space is limited.

Medicaid Expansion, Huge Win for Virginia

You may have heard that yesterday the Virginia legislature approved a budget that includes an expansion of Medicaid, making it the 33rd state in the country (including the District of Columbia) to do so since passage of the Affordable Care Act.

It is hard to overstate the impact of this victory. In Fairfax County alone, 15,000 families will be eligible for health coverage. At least 27,000 individuals could receive health care. Throughout Virginia, over 400,000 people are eligible for coverage.

Thank you to every member of the Hunter Mill Democrats for your part in helping make life better for everyone in Virginia. Your work will literally save lives. Check out Fairfax County Democratic Committee Chairman Dan Lagana’s statement on this incredible victory.

Write for the Blue View

By Brad Swanson

Since going live on 3 April, The Blue View has posted 52 stories, an average of 1 a day. FYI, we also post links to stories on Facebook (both FCDC Group and a dedicated page) and Twitter.

The success of the publication depends on the efforts of  volunteer writers and photographers, whether inside or outside FCDC. We need more contributors to keep up the pace, and, hopefully, accelerate it. For encouragement, and in response to some queries, we have put together a guide for writing for The Blue View. We hope you find it useful. Please feel free to circulate to others who may be interested in writing or taking pictures for us.

Karen Kirk (Blue View deputy editor) and I are happy to discuss story ideas and content guidelines at any time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sue Langley and Tae Chang Woo honored at Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia dinner

The Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV) honored former Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) Chair Sue Langley and President of the Korean American Society of Virginia Tae Chang Woo at its Fourth Annual Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Awards Dinner on Sunday May 20, 2018 at the Pakistani restaurant  Sapphire in Tysons. Elected officials including Gov. Ralph Northam spoke at the award ceremony.

Sue Langley and Tae Chang Woo were presented with the 2018 Joe Montano Community Engagement Awards.  Joe Montano was a prominent Virginian community organizer and activist who served as Northern Virginia Regional Director of Constituent Services for Senator Tim Kaine, and worked on a number of campaigns for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Sue Langley was FCDC Chair for two terms, from 2014 to 2017.  She started in politics as a volunteer with the Wesley Clark campaign in the 2004 primary and then worked for John Kerry in the general campaign.  She was active with the Hunter Mill Democrats and served as FCDC Vice Chair for Precinct Operations.  Sue has hosted numerous canvasses, phone banks, picnics, and fundraisers at her home in Flint Hill precinct.  Sue Langley grew up in Thailand, received her Ph.D. in economics from Iowa State University and was a senior economist and branch chief at the Department of Agriculture.

Read the rest at The Blue View