In this Issue: Convention Energizes Democrats at United Center and Beyond ● DNC Watch Parties: The Next Best Thing to Being There ● Veterans Event Draws Packed Crowd at the DNC ● Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart Meets Gabby Giffords at Gun Violence Prevention Event ● Request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Today ● Candidate Corner: Getting to Know Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart ● Lake Dems Out and About ● ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) ● Upcoming Events
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Convention Energizes Democrats at United Center and Beyond
Whether you were lucky enough to be in the United Center or cheered on our Democratic ticket from home, the glow of the DNC convention lingers.
Now it’s time to get to work to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. Thank you to everyone who has knocked on doors, written postcards, walked in parades, made phone calls or helped in other ways. We’re counting on you to keep up the great work so we all have much more to celebrate in November!
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Lake County Democrats Chair Lauren Beth Gash and Drew Spiegel, gun violence activist and former local Democratic intern, joined elected officials and supporters from Lake County at the Democratic National Convention. (Drew’s work is highlighted here.)
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Watch Parties–The Next Best Thing to Being There
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Lake County Democrats organized watch parties in Lake Forest and northwest Lake County for the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
West Deerfield Township Democrats and Shields Township Democrats partnered with Lake Dems for a festive and exciting watch party in Lake Forest.
At the “Postcards, Potluck, and the DNC” event in Grayslake, Lake Dems partnered with Lake Villa Dems, Avon Township Dems, Antioch Dems, Grant Township Dems, and Indivisible Western Lake County (formerly Indivisible Lindenhurst). Democrats at the Grayslake event were talented multitaskers, writing 875 postcards as they watched.
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Veterans Event Draws Packed Crowd at the DNC
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Lake County veterans and supporters came together for a premier veterans’ party during the Democratic National Convention. The event was co-hosted by the Illinois Veterans for Change, VoteVets, the Lake County Democrats Veterans Committee, and others.
Former members and active-duty personnel packed the IBEW Local 134 union hall to hear why veterans need to elect Democrats. The crowd heard from a number of amazing speakers. Featured speakers included our very own Jesse Rojo, chair of the Lake County Democrats Veterans Committee as well as chair of Illinois Veterans for Change; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth; U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White; and U.S. Senate candidates Congressmen Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Andy Kim of New Jersey.
Lake County Democrats Veterans Committee members and supporters in attendance included: Chair Jesse Rojo, Ann Bidwell, Jennifer Banek, Jim Neel, Bonnie Berger-Neel, David Bonner, Richard Stader-Shaw, Gina Roberts, Nancy Shepherdson, and Lauren Beth Gash.
If you are interested in joining the Lake Dems Veterans Committee, sign up here.
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Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart Meets Gabby Giffords at Gun Violence Prevention Event
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Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart was thrilled to meet former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, founder of the Giffords national gun violence prevention organization, at an important news conference and panel discussion during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Hosting the event were the Illinois (GPAC) Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee, Giffords PAC; and Chicago CRED–Create a Real Economic Destiny. The event focused on multiple solutions to the gun violence epidemic in the U.S.
State’s Attorney Rinehart has built the first violent crime unit in Lake County history, funded the forensic cyber lab, and started the first-ever prevention initiative in the office.
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Request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Today!
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Voters may now request a Vote-by-Mail ballot for the November 5, 2024 election. Go to Lake County Voter Power for Registered Voters and follow the steps to access your personalized Voter Power page. Your official ballot will be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service starting September 20, 2024.
Voting by mail is simple and convenient. Your ballot arrives in the mail, you mark it in the convenience of your home, and you can return it postage-free or use one of the many drop boxes available in Lake County before Election Day. You should get an email confirmation from the Lake County Clerk’s office when they receive your marked ballot. You should get another email upon signature verification.
And remember, requesting a Vote-by-Mail ballot doesn’t mean you can’t vote in person. Just take your Vote-by-Mail ballot to the polls, hand it to the Election Judge to be voided, and vote there instead. What’s important is that once you’ve got that Vote-by-Mail ballot in hand, you can be confident that no last-minute emergency can prevent you from voting in this oh-so-important election.
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Candidate Corner: Getting to Know Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart
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As the Lake County State’s Attorney, I am honored to lead the fight against crime and to strive for equity in our courthouse. I am also honored to be the first Democrat in 40 years in this role and to bring our party’s principles, common sense, and decency to this job.
I have been an attorney for 22 years and practiced in Lake County since 2003. Each of those years has made me a stronger and smarter advocate for people, for ideas, and for the principles that unite us all.
With my wonderful wife Stephanie, I am raising my two sons, Sam and Teddy, in Highland Park. Nothing is more important to me than my family’s safety, and I bring that passion and determination to protect all families with me to work every day.
In office, we have followed through on our promises. We have built the first-ever violent crimes unit, increased the number of domestic violence prosecutors, and strengthened victim services. Also, with our upgraded cyber lab, we finally have the software and personnel to track down those who would exploit others. We have secured millions in new grants to: a) start a Gun Violence Prevention Initiative that addresses the root causes of gun violence so that we can have hope about a safer future; b) start a Conviction Integrity Unit to end Lake County’s shameful history of wrongful prosecutions that cost taxpayers over $60 million, and much more importantly, sent innocent men to prison for over 100 years; and c) start a Human Trafficking Task Force to fight the scourge of labor and sex trafficking.
The three messages we want the community to hear during a tough campaign are:
1. Violent crime (which includes sex assault) is down in Lake County – at a significantly higher rate than the decline we see nationwide. Counting isn’t partisan; Trump, MAGA, and Republicans lie about crime to win votes. They falsely said bail reform would lead to the release of murderers, and they are lying now if they say crime is up in Lake County. The office is investing more than ever in our Violent Crimes Unit, our Victim Support Division, and our crime-fighting technology. We are solving more murders, winning our trials, and thus securing justice for victims and survivors. These successes are due to the hard work of the prosecutors, policy staff, and police partnerships that Eric has been honored to lead.
2. Eric is one of the few State’s Attorneys to support the Illinois Assault Weapon ban. Other State’s Attorneys sued in Illinois courts to stop the ban or worked behind the scenes to undermine its enforcement. Since starting his campaign in 2019, Eric has supported banning assault weapons, expanding background checks, and making sure that domestic abusers lose their weapons. Eric’s opponent is supported by MAGA extremists and has never advocated for more responsible gun ownership – even as we continue to see mass shootings throughout the country with these weapons of war.
3. With the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortion became a criminal law issue that should be at the center of every State’s Attorney race. Eric will always support reproductive justice and a woman’s right to choose. His Republican opponent, on the other hand, supports the MAGA agenda, receiving tens of thousands of dollars from anti-choice forces like Dan McConchie and Dick Uhlein. Republican efforts to pass a national abortion ban must be stopped by pro-choice prosecutors – like Eric – who have the discretion to halt extradition and law enforcement requests from anti-choice states. With such an uncertain future, we need pro-choice leaders like Eric who see how his position can be used to protect all privacy rights.
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Lake Dems Out and About
We love to include event photos in our newsletter! To be considered for inclusion, please send yours to info@lakedems.org with a brief description. Have an event coming up? To submit future events for consideration for our website and emails go to lakedems.org/submit-an-event.
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Friday, August 16
Speaker of the House Joins Joyce Mason’s Celebration
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Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch joined supporters, including many Lake County elected officials, wishing State Representative Joyce Mason a happy birthday. The celebration and campaign kickoff was in Gurnee.
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Saturday, August 17
Democrats Walk in Grayslake Parade
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Sunday, August 18
BBQ Fundraiser for Eric Rinehart and Jennifer Banek in Beach Park
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Sunday, August 25
“Fun” Raiser with Senator Adriane Johnson in Waukegan
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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
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How Do I Join Lake County Democrats?
Lake County Democrats is made up of people like you, people who are passionate about building better communities and a better world. We’re a grassroots political organization, working with Democrats in all parts of Lake County – from Antioch to Highland Park, Libertyville to Waukegan, Barrington to Zion. Become a member online now (individual: $35/couples $60 – though more is always appreciated), or send a check payable to Lake County Democrats to P.O. Box 671, Lake Zurich, IL 60047. Questions? Contact info@lakedems.org.
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