Democrats rally support at JFK Dinner

Featured speakers at annual dinner include Lori Camp, the Democratic nominee for Congress in Indiana's 2nd District, and Terry Goodin, running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick.

With less than two months before the November general election, Democratic Party faithful gathered at Saturday's JFK Dinner. 

The annual gathering, held this year at the Geneva Center, featured guest speakers Lori Camp, the Democratic nominee for Congress in Indiana's 2nd District, and Terry Goodin, running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jennifer McCormick.

Kicking off the event was Fulton County Democratic Party Chairman Josh Zehner, who had the pleasure of introducing the speakers and the night's activities, including a 50/50 drawing and art raffle, with works contributed by Erica Coffing and Christine Walsh. Also invited to speak was 2nd Congressional District Democratic Chair Brian Smith.

Smith noted that in the month and a half since Vice President Kamala Harris became the party's nominee for president, more than 1,100 people in the state's 2nd District have registered to vote. Of them, 54 percent have been women. 

"This is a trend we're seeing all across the country – swing states, red states, blue states – women are registering in mass," he said. 

"We are going to take back our country, but Kamala is going to need some help," he added. "We can't lose the Senate, and we've got to retake the House. Nothing will get done if we lose the Senate and we don't take back the House. But, we have some phenomenal candidates all across the country."

One of them, he pointed out, is Camp, who shared that her run for office was not some personal quest for power.

"I am doing this so that regular people are represented by a government official. For too long, pretty much since (Joe) Donnelly left office, I haven't felt represented," she said. "This isn't about me. It is about us, as citizens, as constituents of the 2nd District, having representation that represents regular people."

If elected, Camp pledged to protect democracy, fight for women's rights, support farmers and reform immigration.

"If you vote for me, I promise I will protect our democracy at all cost, and if you don't like what I've done policywise in two years, you can vote me out. I'm not sure if you vote for my opponent the same will happen," she said. 

She spoke in support of codifying Roe v. Wade and noted immigration reform should be approached with compassion. 

"It is dismaying to me to think that we have people who are ready to just round up everybody and deport them," she said. "These aren't our enemies, these aren't criminals, they're not the worst. They're literally frightened people looking for a better life, probably like many of our ancestors were."

She referred to this year's election as the most important in the history of the country.

"If we can turn out the vote, we can win, and I honestly believe that our party right now is the only hope we have to keeping and holding on to our democracy," she said. "I know that we can win this if we all band together. From the top to the very bottom, we have great women and men on the ballot that believe in democracy."

The underlying message of Goodin's stump speech was that Indiana can do better under Democratic leadership. From the its downtowns and quality of life to educational attainment and economic growth, he noted there's more than enough room for improvement.

"We've got a lot of problems in Indiana, and they didn't happen overnight. Twenty years of the same party rule has put us in dire straits," he said. "But listen to me, folks, when I say this, there's nothing wrong with Indiana that what's right with Indiana can't fix."

With McCormick, he pledged to move the educational system forward, saying those who want to pursue a college degree shouldn't have to incur a mountain of debt. 

He referred to young adults as the state's top export, adding it's important to create opportunities so they can stay, thrive and raise families here.

"We need to stop the attack on our public school corporations across the state of Indiana," he said. "We need to make sure, as we move forward in education, every student has the opportunity to achieve and succeed to their fullest potential."

He also called for a fairer taxing system and to "stop the war on Hoosier women."

"Let women make decisions for themselves," he said. "Men sitting behind desks do not need to be making decisions for women in our society."

A few rankings he highlighted for immediate improvement include Indiana being 50th in relative economic growth over the last 20 years, 48th in the nation for quality of life and 41st in educational attainment. 

"Here's the problem, for the last 20 years the goal has been set too low," he said. "We've got to raise the bar. Indiana can do better, and we start by electing Democrats to office."

Both Camp and Goodin encouraged attendees to reach out to their friends and family to vote, and Zehner encouraged those interested in working the polls on Election Day to email info@fultoncountydems.org for more information.