Sunday, December 1, 2013

HRYD and VAYD Invade The Sixth

VAYD & HRYD #InvadeTheSixth 


We're not done yet, Young Democrats!

With the election of Hampton Roads' own Sen. Ralph Northam to the Office of Lt. Governor earlier this month, the 6th Senate District seat will be vacated and a special election will be held to determine Sen. Northam's successor. For the past 10 years, Del. Lynwood Lewis has honorably served Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore in the 100th District and knows what is best for our region and for the 6th District.

Like Sen. Northam, Del. Lewis has been an advocate for the protection of our natural resources such as the delicate Chesapeake Bay watershed, pushed for increased public education funding and job creation programs, and understands that medical decisions are between a doctor and a patient, not politicians. A victory in this race, with Lt. Governor-elect Northam's tiebreaking vote, puts the Virginia State Senate in Democratic hands and allows Governor-elect McAuliffe to implement his vision for our Commonwealth.

This is why we need your help. Next Saturday, December 7th, we are teaming up with the Virginia Young Democrats at the Norfolk Coordinated Campaign Office from 1 to 5 PM to tell our neighbors in the 6th District why Del. Lynwood Lewis is the right choice on Election Day. So, are you ready to #invadethesixth? We are!


RSVP: Will you join us on Saturday, December 7th and #invadethesixth?

 
WHEN: Saturday, December 7th from 1 to 5 PM

WHERE: Norfolk Democratic Campaign Office - 320 W. 21st Street, Norfolk, VA 23517


Questions? E-mail us at hrvayds@gmail.com

Friday, November 15, 2013

Sixth Senatorial Caucus - This Saturday / Post Election Wrap-Up

Sixth Senatorial District Caucus - This Saturday


If you are a resident of the 6th State Senate District, currently represented by Lt. Governor-elect Sen. Ralph Northam, there will be a nominating caucus held this Saturday to nominate the candidate for the special election to replace him. Running for the nomination are Del. Lynwood Lewisformer Del. Paula Miller and Andria McClellan

WHEN: Between 10 AM and 2 PM, this Saturday.
WHERE:
If Norfolk Resident of Sixth District
Granby High School
7101 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA

If Virginia Beach Resident of Sixth District

Bayside Baptist Church
1920 Pleasure House Road
Virginia Beach, VA


Victory!


For the first time in over 40 years, Democrats hold both Senate seats, plus the Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General's offices in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We cannot thank you enough for your efforts, HRYD members, in helping us achieve this goal. We especially would like to thank the countless campaign staffers and volunteers who pledged their time and efforts to helping our party achieve a clean sweep this year.

Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the efforts of all the candidates who ran across the region. We lost some tough races on Election Day but we produced some of the best candidates Hampton Roads Democrats have ever seen. HRYD thanks all the candidates we worked with over the course of 2013 and we hope that all of you stay involved in growing our party here in Tidewater.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

September / October Update

#inittowinit
 We are less than 30 days to Election Day and with that, HRYD is in the middle of working with local campaigns to ensure victory across the region. Starting September 29th and running until Election Day, we are getting the message out for our entire Democratic slate. From supporting Terry McAuliffe, Ralph Northam and Mark Herring running statewide to local House of Delegates races including Rob Farinholt, Susan Hippen, Bill Dale, Linda Bryant and HRYD alum Brent McKenzie as well as constitutional officer candidates such as Commonwealth Attorney candidate Greg Turpin in Virginia Beach, we are #inittowinit. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook  for event and group updates as we get closer to November 5th!


Pizza Party and Phone Bank on October 8th
On Tuesday, October 8th, we are holding a pizza party meeting at the Virginia Beach Education Association building to discuss all the events and plans we have over the next four weeks until Election Day. In addition, we will be phone banking for Greg Turpin, candidate for Commonwealth Attorney in Virginia Beach. To RSVP, visit our Facebook event page or e-mail us!


Website Update
We will be switching over to our new website shortly. At that time, we will close down this website and provide a link to the new one. Stay tuned!

Old News

Executive Committee News
At the start of the August meeting last Monday, President Jamal Gunn announced that he accepted a job assignment based in Connecticut until early 2014. Jamal will continue to serve as President and collaborate with the HRYD Executive Committee on events and initiatives into the future. We wish Jamal the best of luck with his new role and await his triumphant return! Political Action Director Fred Hussain resigned from the committee due to his relocation to Northern Virginia for a new position. As a result, Jamal appointed  our good friend Chika Anyadike to replace Fred as Political Action Director. We thank Fred for his passion and his leadership and wish him well with his future endeavors as well as thank Chika for accepting the position.

HRYD Attends the Young Democrats of America Convention
Along with our fellow VAYD members from across the Commonwealth, HRYD traveled all the way to San Antonio, Texas to attend the Young Democrats of America Biennial Convention from August 8th to the 11th. During the convention, VAYD & YDA members attended caucus and training meetings as well as listened to speeches from brothers Congressman Joaquin Castro and Mayor Julian Castro, filmmaker Christine Pelosi and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Most importantly, though, we helped to elect Virginia's own Atima Omara-Alwala to the YDA Presidency, the first African-American Female and Virginian to be elected to the position. This trip would not have been possible without the generous donations from various Democratic Committees across Hampton Roads. We extend our gratitude and thanks for your support!

Suzanne Patrick Announces Candidacy for 2nd Congressional District
On Tuesday, August 27th, former Naval Reserve officer and Pentagon official Suzanne Patrick announced her candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District seat. To follow updates from her campaign, follow her on Twitter @suzanne_patrick.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Mid-July News Update

As the days of summer roll past and we inch closer to November, HRYD has been busy with events across the region and the state. For the most up-to-date information on events, news and other updates, follow us on Twitter at @HRYoungDems and on our Facebook page at Hampton Roads Young Democrats.

New Logo

Officially unveiled at the monthly meeting on July 10th, HRYD debuted our new logo that replaced the original design with one that we feel best signifies the spirit of our group as well as incorporates the cities we represent across Hampton Roads. The logo was designed by our Vice-Chair, Joel McDonald, after being inspired by the events of Jefferson-Jackson Weekend in Richmond. We think it's a great design!

Hampton Roads for Atima Reception
This year, Young Democrats from Virginia have a chance to help one of their own in an important race for the leadership of the Young Democrats of America. At the YDA Biennial Convention next month in San Antonio, Texas, Virginia's own Atima Omara-Alwala is running for the office of YDA President for the 2013-2015 term. To help support her bid, HRYD, along with the Norfolk City Democratic Committee and help from committees across Hampton Roads, hosted a fundraiser at the Belmont House of Smoke on Tuesday, June 25th. Notable people attending included Del. Lynwood Lewis, former Del. Paula Miller, DPVA vice-chair Gaylene Kanton and Democratic Nominee for Norfolk Commissioner of Revenue, Evans Poston.
 

It was as great time and a successful event with food graciously prepared by the Belmont House of Smoke staff. We thank everyone who made it out and donated to Atima's campaign! A number of HRYD members are planning to attend the YDA Convention, so we hope to see her election in person next month! If you are interested in attending the Convention, e-mail us at hrvayds@gmail.com.

Jefferson-Jackson Weekend
The Democratic Party of Virginia's annual Jefferson-Jackson Weekend took place from June 29th until July 1st, marked by a number of great speeches, meetings and other events that brought the party together and energized us for November. HRYD members were there staring Friday night with the VAYD reception, held at the Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.

Saturday's events were held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center where a number of caucus and general business meetings took place during the day. HRYD Vice Chair and Vice Chair of Technology and Communication of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia, Joel McDonald, helped to plan and preside over the LGBT Democrats first annual Equality Breakfast, held Saturday morning with Sen. Tim Kaine as Keynote Speaker. We congratulate Joel and the LGBT Democrats for their work. Former ODU Young Democrats President and HRYD member Terrell Kingwood was awarded the DPVA Rising Star Award at the Grassroots Luncheon later that afternoon in honor of his work over the previous year. Once again, we congratulate Terrell on his award.

Later that evening, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was held with Virginia's congressional delegation and the majority of the statewide delegates and senators in attendance. The highlight of the night was the dinner's Keynote Speaker, Vice President Joe Biden. Vice President Biden emphasized the successes of President Obama and his administration as well as the growth of the private sector and the jobs created because of that. Most importantly, he emphasized the importance of this year's statewide election and the risks we run if Ken Cuccinelli, E.W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain are elected to office.
After the dinner, HRYD members met and spoke with Hampton Roads' own Rep. Bobby Scott and Lt. Governor candidate Sen. Ralph Northam, Attorney General candidate Sen. Mark Herring and DPVA Chairwoman Charnelle Herring. We had a wonderful time meeting with Democrats from across the state and we are ready to work to elect our slate to Richmond!

McAuliffe-Northam-Herring Joint Phone Bank in Virginia Beach

The McAuliffe campaign in Virginia Beach hosted a phone bank on Tuesday, July 2nd, at their office in Virginia Beach with Terry McAuliffe, Sen. Ralph Northam and Sen. Mark Herring in attendance. Through our social media outlets, HRYD informed its members and followers of the event through Facebook event creation and tweets from our Twitter page. This publicity spread further when followers such as DPVA Chairwoman Del. Charnelle Herring retweeted our event post on Twitter. HRYD members participated in the event through posting of videos, photos and working the phones to inform local voters about our Democratic ticket.

Upcoming Events

This Saturday, July 20, the first debate between Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli will be streamed online. Coinciding with that event will be two debate watch parties which are to be held at the Norfolk and Virginia Beach McAuliffe Campaign Offices starting at 11 AM. For more information on this event or RSVP for them, visit our Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/513772332029318/?ref=3

The following weekend, July 27th and 28th, HRYD and the McAuliffe campaign will be holding a Weekend of Action across Hampton Roads in an effort to inform voters about Terry's campaign through canvassing, phone banking and other volunteering opportunities. More information to come as the details are finalized.

Website Notice
With a new logo, some new events coming up and the campaign season rolling along, HRYD will soon be making another change within the next few weeks as we will be leaving Blogspot for a new host by the end of July. Further details will follow shortly.

Monday, June 24, 2013

HR for Atima is Tomorrow!

Hampton Roads Democrats for Atima Reception

6:30 to 8:30 PM, 2117 Colonial Ave, Norfolk, VA 23517

Join HRYD and Democrats from across the region at the Belmont House of Smoke as we show support for Virginia's own Atima Omara-Alwala in her campaign for the presidency of the Young Democrats of America!

$150 - Host Committee
$50 - Friend
$25 - Young Democrats
All donations are welcome!

SPECIAL GUEST


Sen. Ralph Northam
Democratic Nominee for Lt. Governor

Host Committee
Gaylene Kanoyton
Joel McDonald
Jamal Gunn
Diane Kaufman
Charlie Stanton
Sandra Brandt

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Our Ticket, Our Year

Congrautlations to our statewide candidates!

Terry McAuliffe for Governor
Hampton Roads' own Sen. Ralph Northam for Lt. Governor
Sen. Mark Herring for Attorney General

A special thank you to Aneesh Chopra, Justin Fairfax and their campaigns for working with us during the primary. Their contributions in the months and years ahead will benefit not just our party but all of Virginia. Now that the primary is over, it's time that we start pounding the pavement, picking up the phones and pledging our time by doing all that we can to elect our statewide and our local candidates.

Young Democrats of Hampton Roads, we need your help more than ever in order to turn back the divisive policies and decisions of the last few years. This is the year to get involved and stand up for the rights and ways that make this Commonwealth and our region a great place to live. Keep up to date on events and volunteer opportunities in races across the area by following us on Twitter at @HRYoungDems and by 'liking' our Hampton Roads Young Democrats Facebook page.

We're in it to win it. Join us.

Friday, April 19, 2013

2013 Executive Committee Elections / VAYD Convention This Weekend

2013 HRYD Executive Committee

At our last meeting held on March 27th, elections were held to determine the Executive Committee for this year.

President - Jamal Gunn
Vice President - Joel McDonald
Secretary - Michelle Johnstone
Finance Director - Kristin Smith
Outreach Director - Erin Carter
Political Action Director - Fred Hussain
Membership Director - Shannon Stewart
Communications Director - Chris Katella
Virginia Beach City Chair - Joel McDonald

Congratulations to our newly elected/reelected officials!

VAYD Convention 2013 Begins Tonight

Tonight, after months of building anticipation and excitement, the 80th annual VAYD Convention will finally be underway! HRYD welcomes all attendees to the Hampton Roads region and hopes their stay here this weekend is a memorable and productive one.

For complete information about this weekend's activities and events, click here.

Reminder: Registration is now closed for the convention.