December 2025
Dear Fellow Democrat,
This past year was about standing up to Trump and preparing to elect Democrats to fight for our values in 2026. Lake County Democrats took action, and we won’t stop.
When Donald Trump and Elon Musk tried taking a chainsaw to the federal government, Lake County Democrats organized a large, peaceful protest outside a Tesla dealership, joining with nearly 500 people on a cold February day. That was just the beginning. We rallied on multiple NO KINGS Days — one brought together over 15,000 people! With ICE snatching people off the streets at Home Depot or just taking their kids to school, our “Neighbors United” discussion drew a large crowd to hear from community leaders and stakeholders representing our most vulnerable neighborhoods, so people could better understand what’s happening, and — more importantly — how they can help.
Our values have been front and center, and because of the stark contrast with Republican politicians, our goal of electing Democrats up and down the ballot has never been more important. They’re working to destroy the social safety net, jack up health insurance prices, raise monthly grocery bills, ignore gun violence, and look the other way when Trump acts like a ruthless wannabe king. We can’t let that happen.
Help Lake County Democrats continue to elect and re-elect Democrats by joining, renewing your membership, or contributing at lakedems.org/contribute. Or send a check to Lake Dems, P.O. Box 671, Lake Zurich, IL 60047.
We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished in turning Lake County from Republican red to Democratic blue over the years. This shift didn’t come out of nowhere. It took hard work. This year, we collected tens of thousands of petition signatures at Lake Dems-sponsored events. We provided notaries and lawyers to look over documents for petition circulators and candidates to make sure they withstood ballot challenges from opponents. As a result, strong Democratic candidates are vying for every office — and we’ll flip red seats — in Lake County!
Who we have in office matters, and our all-volunteer grassroots team works hard to make sure our candidates are successful in reaching people and getting elected. Progress doesn’t come if we don’t get elected. We engage voters in door-to-door conversations through our Connection Canvassing project, bring people together for dinner and discussion at “Let’s Talk Politics” gatherings, and host other events throughout the year. Lake Dems recruits and trains precinct committeepersons and grassroots activists to knock doors and make phone calls to voters. Candidates, candidate staff, and volunteers heard from a top election attorney about getting and staying on the ballot. We also engaged volunteers, holding regular open houses. In 2025, our events brought in Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, JB Pritzker’s running mate for Lt. Governor, Christian Mitchell, and Northwestern Constitutional Law Professor Heidi Kitrosser. These exciting speakers energize our supporters and bring new people into the group, just like our Chicago Bears watch party did. And we got together to watch amazing election results from across the country, including from New Jersey and Virginia, where our Democratic volunteers had sent Get Out the Vote (GOTV) postcards to voters.
Next year, we have even more in store to support Democrats. Join us! Our countywide voter turnout program will activate voters once again. And Lake Dems will send mail to sporadic voters who are likely to support Democrats but don’t consistently vote. We’ll continue organizing large texting, phone banking, and door-knocking programs. Lake Dems will keep engaging volunteers in our three offices and the electorate on social media. We’ll create full-color, glossy Democratic Voter Guides for polling place passers. And our 24/7 Lake Dems Voter Assistance Hotline and large Election Protection Team will make sure voting rights are allowed to be exercised accordingly, despite what games the other side may play.
It’s only because of the dedicated organizing of our Lake Dems team that we can succeed in electing people who share our values. Thank you to all our Lake Dems volunteers, contributors, and supporters for everything you do to help elect Democrats! It takes a lot of hard work by many people and being there for one another. I can’t adequately express how grateful I am for you.
This is a dark time for our country. The only way out is by standing up, taking action, and fighting together for our values. I’ll keep working, and I hope you will too. There’s too much at stake not to.
Can you help us continue our critical work? Our efforts cost money. Let’s make sure we keep the gains we’ve made and progress even further by joining, renewing your membership, or contributing at lakedems.org/contribute. Or send a check to Lake Dems, P.O. Box 671, Lake Zurich, IL 60047.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and work together to move forward in 2026. And, as 2025 comes to a close, my wish is that the New Year brings peace to you, your family, our country, and our world.
Lauren Beth Gash
Chair, Lake County Democrats
