Chair's Message
Happy New Year! Thank you to everyone who came to our holiday party and thank you to Allison Ewers for hosting. Thank you
A lot of us have a pit in our stomach right now after the election... I know mine is only getting worse as the reality of a Trump Administration moves closer. Over the past two months, many of us have also been scrambling to make sense of what happened, to identify where we failed, and to try to read the tea leaves to see how we might succeed in the future.
I've talked with our State Party Chair and our County Party Chair and have tried to pin down what I think we can do statewide from a party perspective. This election was a difficult one to win for any candidate, and was made more difficult by the fact that there was no primary and a late change in candidates.
We also faced significant issues of inflation, a populace that might have forgotten what 2016-2020 were like, wealthy donors trying to tip the scale in favor of the Republican candiate for president, a large registration disadvantage, and significant worldwide hot button issues. Despite that, the house is very close, we won our Senate seat, and we won some races in our District that showed our strength.
Below you'll see some Data highlights that I've requested that Emily Wilson, which MCDP has provided. We'll go over them in our meeting in January, where we'll discuss results, objectives, etc., and try to set some goals for the next cycle.
Some Highlights:
- LD8 Democrats (88.4%) turned out (percentage who voted compared to percentage registered) at a higher rate than Republicans (87.6%) in 2024;
- Only four LD's of 22 Maricopa County LD's had a higher turnout percentage than republicans in the same District;
- LD8 increased our Democratic turnout percentage between '20 and '24, from 85.1% in '20 to 88.4% in '24, the 3.2 percentage point increase was the second highest increase among Maricopa County LD's between those two years;
- Of the 22 Maricopa County Legislative Districts, LD8 had the second lowest average age of voter who voted, at 45.8, in general we have an approximate average age of 46%;
- LD8 was 9th out of 22 Maricopa County LD's for total Turnout Percentage;
- Maricopa County Democratic Turnout was at 90%, versus Republicans at 94.4%;
- At the end of early voting (including all early voting and mail in early voting up to Friday before the election) LD8 had a 62.3% Turnout versus the Republicans 60% Turnout... so our late earlies (mail ins dropped off on election day) and day of voting were substantial and more than a quarter of all of our votes.
- Maricopa County Democrats had a 63.7% turnout versus a 66.9% Republican turnout at the end of early voting.
- Democratic registration was down in LD8 by approximately 1,000 votes and Republican registration was up approximately 2,000 votes.
- In Maricopa County, Democratic Voters increased by approximately 8,000 voters, Republican voters increased by approximately 76,000 voters.
- In LD8, approximately 440 inactive voters (voters moved to the inactive list) voted in early voting, and 1367 inactive voters voted afterwards... approximately 60% of those voters are Democratic or Democratic leaning. Approximately 70-75% of them were under the age of 40.
Chair, LD8 Democrats
Steven Jackson
arizonald8dems@gmail.com
www.azld8dems.org
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Scottsdale Action
On December 3, 2024, Scottsdale City Council adopted the Community Sustainability Plan in a 5-2 vote. Next week, on Tuesday January 14, Scottsdale's new City Council will, within a few hours of taking office, vote to repeal the Community Sustainability Plan and establish "a Community Sustainability Task Force to look at the long-term sustainability of the City by examining the fiscal, population and conservation needs." Given the genesis of this idea and the public statements of those who would appoint the task force, the result is unlikely to lead to meaningful environmental initiatives. In addition, we already have the council-appointed Scottsdale Environmental Advisory Commission – a commission that worked on the adopted plan for three years.
A huge outpouring of public support for the Plan is the only thing that will save the Plan and future City of Scottsdale sustainability initiatives. Our returning (3) and new (4) council members need to hear that YOU care about a healthy, livable environment; cleaner, cheaper energy; and proactive measures to confront threats like extreme heat and drought. Here's how to let them know:
Note: It is REALLY important to use your own words; cut & paste "form" messages are not effective.
Please send to citycouncil@ScottsdaleAZ.gov.
- Using a fresh email (no chain):
- state your opposition to the repeal of the Community Sustainability Plan
- state your opposition to the establishment of a Sustainability Task Force
- state your opposition to any weakening of the Community Sustainability Plan
- say why the environment and/or a sustainability plan is important to you
- "sign" with your full name and Scottsdale physical address
- You can also mention one or more of the following (again, in your own words):
- your support for the Scottsdale Environmental Advisory Commission
- your support for implementation of the Community Sustainability Plan
- your concern about the lack of notice regarding this agenda item
- the adopted plan was over three years in the making, with significant contributions from residents and commissioners
- the adopted plan was weakened the night it was adopted; you do not want to see any further weakening
Please also consider speaking at the City Council meeting. Register here (1/14/2025 Agenda Item #14B). Whether or not you plan to speak, please send a written comment ahead of time.
Chair, LD8 Democrats
Steven Jackson
arizonald8dems@gmail.com
www.azld8dems.org
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January Monthly Meeting
- Chair Report;
- Treasurer's Report;
- Data and Moving Forward Discussion
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- DONATE - one-time or recurring donations of any amount make an impact
- VOLUNTEER - click here to sign up or find out how you can help LD8 grow
- Recruit PCs
- Run for a Commission
- SHOW UP - to any of the opportunities listed in this newsletter
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