The Stanislaus County Democratic Central Committee (DCC) has witnessed some inspiring wins in the past few years thanks to their tireless work and the growing strength of grassroots Democrats in the area. The uptick in Democratic activity and victories is also a testament to the strong partnership local Democrats have developed with the local Labor Council.
Tony Rojas is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Labor Council, and he is an alternate on the Stanislaus County DCC. The partnership between labor and Stanislaus DCC is fairly new but has enjoyed success right out of the gate. As Rojas explains, “We all know each other and would see each other in the neighborhood, yet we would run parallel campaigns. We realized the only way we could make meaningful change in the Central Valley was if we worked together. So after 2010 we pulled together, because it was becoming evident that everything that is won and lost in California begins in the Central Valley.”
Stanislaus DCC and Labor’s first real victory came in the form of the Garrad Marsh for Modesto Mayoral race. With the combined effort of the two organizations, Marsh was elected and became first Democrat to serve since anyone can remember. “We saw the power we had together when we helped Marsh win the mayoral race in Modesto, it was an upset for sure,” described Rojas.
In 2012, with the Marsh win under their belt, the Stanislaus DCC is confident more than ever that they will help deliver some key victories in the area. As Rojas explains, “we are focused on making sure that we come out for Jose Hernandez in CD-10, Adam Gray in AD-21 and Cathleen Galgiani in SD-05. We have several groups reaching out to the Latino community and registering voters often.”
The CD-10 race is bound to be a close one for sure and with a candidate like Hernandez, there is a real shot at unseating Tea Party Republican Congressman Jeff Denham. The Stanislaus DCC and local labor activists have grabbed the bull by the horns to make sure no opportunity to reach and educate voters is missed. “The Stanislaus DCC will be coordinating precinct walks and phone banking with great local Democratic clubs every weekend. Local Labor will be pushing their folks to start phone banking and walking every weekend as well,” said Rojas.
With that kind of game plan, the Stanislaus DCC and their local labor partners are bound to reach more Stanislaus County voters than they ever have.
The successes that Stanislaus Democrats have achieved together with local labor partners are ones that Democrats across California can be proud of. We can’t wait to see what the two groups can accomplish together in 2012.
To find out how you can help your local county Democratic Party, visit www.battlegroundcalifornia.com