Letter from the Chair

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the Democratic Party in 2008!  This year, we will have the opportunity for success in electing Democratic candidates and advancing Democratic values at many levels.  Of course, we are all paying attention to the presidential race and I am confident that we will have a great shot at re-taking the White House.  No matter who our nominee is, they will not only be an sea-change and massive improvement from the debacle that has been the Bush Administration, they will also give us a chance to move a progressive, Democratic agenda for the people of this country that badly need and want change. 

But not only will we elect a Democrat to the White House in 2008 if we all put our passion and our values to work, we will also have the opportunity to re-elect our fantastic Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin to an expanded majority in the U.S. House.  In 2006, we took the majority, and in 2008, with Tammy Baldwin as a leader, we will move our agenda on behalf of all Americans.  I count myself among the thousands in this Congressional District to be proud to be a Tammy Baldwin Democrat!

If the White House and Congress were not enough, South Central Wisconsin will be a battleground in taking a majority in the State Assembly and keeping our majority in the State Senate.  Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair and 16^th District Senator Mark Miller is up for re-election.  He has been a stalwart champion of our progressive, Democratic values.  In 2006, we took two very important Assembly seats in our area by electing Kim Hixson in the 43^rd District and Andy Jorgensen in the 37^th District.  They have established themselves as leaders in the Assembly and again, I am proud to say that they are among the many Democrats in our district that I am proud to support.  But not only will we re-elect our incumbent Democrats, we will help take the majority in the State Assembly by winning in the 2^nd Congressional District.  There are a few key districts where we can elect good Democrats – the 42^nd, 47^th, and 80^th Districts are all “top-tier” opportunities for us.

As important as electing Democrats in this key election year, we can work hard as a party to advance our Democratic values by engaging our communities to hear the Democratic and progressive message based upon principles of justice, fairness, opportunity and security.  There are a number of projects that our Democratic Party of the 2^nd Congressional District has in store for 2008 to elect our candidates and to advance our values.  I hope you will join me and join our party in working hard for these goals!

In Solidarity,

Peter Rickman
Chairman, Democratic Party of the 2^nd Congressional District