Added by BWittmer on September 8, 2010 9:50 pm
Welcome and welcome back, all, to a new year!
Once the Class of 2014 came through the gates of Yale, settled into their Old Campus suites, and made new friends, they began to explore everything this campus has to offer them, many of them turning up en masse to the Dems’ first major events of the year: bluebooking, our annual kickoff, and hosting Dan Malloy and Blue State.
The year looks to be off to a great start with the Dems, old and new. A packed Dwight Hall Common Room played host to our kickoff, where Dems President Ben Stango, Committee Coordinators, and other Board members spoke to the new class, outlining the plans for the coming semester, focusing especially on electing the first Democrat to the Governor’s mansion in over two decades.
The very next day following the kickoff, that next Governor, Dan Malloy visited Blue State Coffee with his running mate, Nancy Wyman, and other prominent Connecticut supporters, including State Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield. All three spoke about the importance of this fall in determining the direction of Connecticut’s future. Malloy spoke of his experience in revitalizing the town of Stamford and the importance of building ties with businesses, especially entrepreneurs, in bringing jobs to Connecticut. He fielded questions ranging from carbon emissions commitments to bringing Hartford’s budget back in line.
News coverage, pictures, and video of the Malloy/Wyman event:
Can Malloy Break The Curse?
Malloy discusses hopes for future with Yale crowd
Added by BWittmer on January 14, 2010 11:02 pm
This evening, the Yale Dems gathered at Blue State Coffee to phonebank for Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts special Senate election. After two hours, fifteen volunteers made 570 calls to help elect the State Attorney General on January 19th. See some of our awesome volunteers in action:
Added by AFeldman on October 25, 2009 6:10 am
On Monday, October 5, Vice President Biden held an event in Fairfield, CT to highlight the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Joining him were Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Jim Himes (CT-4). The Dems spotted numerous CT politicos in the audience, including Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy.
The Vice President spoke about how the construction site where the event was held was funded by the stimulus package, and how it is just one example of how the stimulus is helping to employ Americans and fund needed projects. He also praised Sen. Dodd for the work he has done in dealing with the economic crisis. It was a great opportunity to hear proud Democrats speak about this crucial aspect of President Obama’s strategy to help our economy recover.
Added by AFeldman on April 21, 2009 6:28 pm
On Friday, April 17, 470 ward 1 residents cast ballots in the Democratic aldermanic endorsement vote. Mike Jones received 233 votes (49.2 %), beating Katie Harrison and Minh Tran, who received 176 votes (36.9 %) and 61 votes (12.8%) respectively.
Following the announcement of the results, the Ward 1 Democratic Committee officially endorsed Mike for the aldermanic seat, which was followed by the Yale College Democrats automatic endorsement.
This marks the first time that the early aldermanic endorsement vote has occured, since in 2007 Rachel Plattus was had no opponent and thus no election was held. It has been very exciting to see so many Yale students get involved in campaigns and learn about the issues that affect New Haven and Yale alike. We congratulate Katie and Minh on their hard-fought campaigns, and hope that they continue to work on the issues they care about that affect us all.
Coverage:
YDN: Jones ’11 wins Ward 1 vote
Independent: New Blood Enters Political Stream
Added by AFeldman on April 9, 2009 11:23 pm
These past 2 Mondays, 2 of the 3 candidates for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination spoke with the Dems about their visions for Connecticut. (It should be noted that Dan Malloy has not technically declared his candidacy but rather has formed an exploratory committee, whereas Jim Amann has declared and formed a candidate committee).
On March 30, former Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives Jim Amann sat down with Dems members to discuss his candidacy. Mr. Amann spoke about Governor Rell’s unwillingness to work with the legislature and his own experience in state government. On April 6, Mayor of Stamford Dan Malloy talked about his acheivements in his 4 terms as mayor and how he hopes to take on Governor Rell if he wins the nomination.
As part of the Democratic Party, the Yale College Democrats do not endorse in primaries. Nevertheless these were great opportunities to hear from Democratic leaders in Connecticut, and to get a preview of what should prove to be an exciting (if long) gubernatorial primary and general election.
Photos from the events are over at Picasa.
In addition, Malloy’s committee posted some video from his visit:
To learn more about the campaigns, visit their campaign websites at jimamann.com and danmalloy.com.
Added by AFeldman on April 3, 2009 6:39 pm
Much has been written about the aldermanic race since Yale returned from break. With the election 2 weeks from today (and the registration deadline 1 week from today), it’s coming down to the wire for the campaigns. Here’s the recent reporting and editorializing on the race:
General:
- At debate, candidates’ arguments overlap (YDN, 3/27)
- Ward 1, round two (YDN, 3/31)
- 3 Candidates, 2 Opinions (Independent, 3/31)
- Briefly: From Swing Space, votes to be cast for Ward 1 vote (YDN 4/6)
- News analysis: In Ward 1, candidates play the name game (YDN, 4/7)
- Fourth aldermanic debate turns heated (YDN, 4/8)
- Most Elis undecided in Ward 1 (YDN, 4/9)
- City Hall memo: Endorsement vote only a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ (YDN, 4/16)
Editorials:
Katie Harrison:
Mike Jones:
Minh Tran:
Updated as of April 16.
Added by AFeldman on April 1, 2009 11:06 pm
On Monday, March 26, the Dems hosted the first ward 1 aldermanic debate. More than 70 people showed up at the JE Theater to hear the candidates discuss the issues important to ward 1. The YDN liveblogged the event, and covered it in Tuesday’s paper.
Additionally, our new Elections Committee has written up an issues guide for this election, which provides some great background for those not familiar with local politics. You can get a quick summary by reading the 1-page guide, or go more in depth by reading the longer version.
Video of the debate is available courtesy of the Katie Harrison campaign. Photos from the event are over at Picasa:
Added by AFeldman on March 2, 2009 10:16 pm
All 3 candidates for the ward 1 Demcratic aldermanic nomination now have websites up and running. To learn more about them, check out their websites:
Note: The Yale College Democrats, as the official voice of the Democratic Party at Yale, do not endorse in primaries.
Added by AFeldman on February 19, 2009 7:41 pm
The ward 1 aldermanic race is now contested, following Katie Harrison ’11’s campaign kickoff yesterday. The campaign to secure the Democratic Ward Committee’s endorsement (though an election) now has 2 candidates, Harrison and Mike Jones ‘11. You can learn more about them at their respective facebook pages: Katie Harrison, Mike Jones for Alderman
UPDATE: With Minh Tran ‘09′s entry into the race this past Sunday, the race now has 3 candidates.
Added by AFeldman on February 8, 2009 9:04 pm
Governor Rell isn’t up for reelection until 2010, but by no means does it seem too early for candidates to declare that they’re going to run against her. So far, we have the Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, former state Speaker of the House Jim Amann, and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy. Additionally, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has decided not to run, which has been seen by come political commentators as hinting at his plans to run for Senate if Sen. Dodd retires or Sen. Lieberman does not seek the Democratic nomination.
Some background on the Democratic candidates (and the non-candidate Blumenthal) at CT Local Politics
Also, a good race-tracker for when the actual campaigning begins at Our Campaigns
