It's not easy to pick up and dust off after a tough fall. This election was a tough one for Democrats in Virginia. In spite of an unprecedented effort by the Virginia Young Democrats and Democrats all over the Commonwealth, we lost. Even with this loss, however, we have a lot to be thankful for:
Virginia Young Democrats Make Huge Impact on Election
In spite of a tough environment, you and our 10,000 members across Virginia made 135,300 voter contacts. This HUGE number played a significant role in some of our victories in the House of Delegates races. You can read about our 2009 Election work here.
Health Insurance Reform
Over the summer and into the fall, Young Democrats in Virginia and across the country wrote letters and made phone calls to their members of Congress in support of Health Insurance Reform. We know that it is our generation, our friends and our siblings, that suffers under the high costs of the current health insurance system. It is wrong to make young people choose between paying for health insurance and paying for rent. It is wrong to expect young people to pay extraordinarily high premiums when they could be paying off college debt or saving up to buy their first home. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass health insurance reform. Just this weekend, the U.S. Senate voted to allow debate to move forward. Senators Webb and Warner both voted to move forward on debate of the bill. You can call them now to tell them why you support Health Insurance Reform, or you can use the AFL-CIO's Action Center to send them an email.
Special Senate Election
We have the chance to send one more Democrat to the General Assembly this year. After a Democratic Caucus on December 3rd, VAYD will be hiring two organizers to work on the campaign of the Democratic Nominee! The 37th Senate District consists of a wide swath of southern Fairfax County. Will you be in NOVA during the month of December? If you want to help us rebound from this tough year and elect another Democrat to the state senate, email 37SenateOrganizers@vayd.org!
Paid Legislative Fellowships
Have you ever wanted to see the policy process from the inside? The Virginia Young Democrats has teamed up with the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses in the General Assembly to offer paid Fellowships for the Spring 2010 term. The application deadline for this program is December 10th, and is perfect for a Richmond, Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, or Williamsburg area student looking for a two- to three-day per week fellowship. For more information on this exciting program, visit www.vayd.org/2010LegislativeFellows.
VAYD on Facebook and Twitter!
Catching up on facebook and twitter over the holidays? Be sure to become a fan of the Virginia Young Democrats on our new Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter!
Commonwealth Club
2010 will be another banner year for the Virginia Young Democrats - but only if we have the financial support to make our organization as robust as it can be. Our Commonwealth Club is made up of people who give to our organization in small recurring monthly donations. These small monthly contributions allow us to count on your donation every month so that we may budget accordingly. Giving just $10 per month allows us to pay for the meal at one of our upcoming Spring Trainings. Giving $20 per month allows us to pay for one of our legislative fellows for five weeks. Commonwealth Club members get special email updates, exclusive invites to Commonwealth Club receptions, and more! Join our Commonwealth Club today!
Call for Executive Board Meeting
Board President Sean Holihan has called an Executive Board Meeting for Saturday, December 5th. The meeting will take place immediately following the Democratic Party's State Central Committee Meeting in Staunton at approximately 2pm. The meeting will take place in the Shenandoah Ballroom of the Stonewall Jackson Hotel at 24 S. Market Street. If you have any questions, please email toby.quaranta@vayd.org.
