Please call your senators to support SB0071 which clarifies language for sex education teachers so that they can discuss contraception, although they cannot advocate. Schools and districts could still opt out of teaching sex ed. However, this bill improves, incrementally, sex education, if not comprehensive.
Sen. Ward was author, and this passed unanimously in the House.
Everyone knows our political system is broken. Here’s what most people don’t know: We can fix it.
In just 11 minutes, Unbreaking America shows why nearly every issue we face as a nation is caught in the grip of corruption – and what we can do to stop it.
Interview starts at 35:30
WE'RE STARTING TO MOVE - JOIN US!
So as not to let any grass grow under foot, we are hosting a Utah Women and Politics PAC meeting on Tuesday, February 5 at 6:30pm at The Foundry SLC, 412 South 700 West (above the new Modern West Fine Art space - stairs directly to the southwest of the building). There is plenty of parking.
It will be a full meeting. The agenda will include:
Presentation of significant legislative issues by Jennifer Dailey Provost
Update on the status of the Better Boundaries Initiative with Catherine Kanter
Discussion with Action Utah about legislative engagement
Discussion of current targeted districts for the 2020 Elections
We need your help. The 2020 elections are really not that far away and we all need to work to make the change we desire. Please RSVP at utahwomenandpolitics.org/rsvp so that we can plan accordingly.
Thank you all. You are making the difference.
P.S. Several of us are going to be on Lara Jones' KRCL RadioActive show at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22. Listen in if you can.
Also, if any of you are interested in attending the Legislative Ball, Rhapsody in Blue, on Saturday, January 26, tickets can be purchases at this link Utah Democratic Party Legislative Gala 2019
Thank you all for all of your great support of this remarkable effort in the last elections. As we begin a new year, I would like to challenge and request of all of you to continue to support the PAC. Our next races are going to take more effort and more money --our goal for the 2020 elections is $200,000.
I would like to ask each of you to continue to support our Utah Women and Politics PAC at the same or higher level than you supported us in the past - and do that amount for two years. If we all do this, we will make our goal. We can be flexible with payments - you can pay monthly, quarterly whatever best works for you. Credit cards donations can be done online on our website at utahwomenandpolitics.org and checks can be made out to Utah Women and Politics PAC and mailed to 29 South State #404, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111.
The Utah Women and Politics PAC is still a very new group (the PAC was officially formed in October 2017) so this is just the beginning and we need your help to improve our group as we head into 2020. We will hold a meeting in a couple of months to plan for the future, and hope you will help us think of new opportunities for members to engage and ways for our group to help identify and support candidates in this next election cycle. If you have ideas or suggestions now, please also feel free to reach out and share your thoughts anytime. We need all of your support and energy.
Thank you for all that you to help continue to "move the needle" in Utah.
Please bring your friends and family with you and join us to celebrate the success of our candidates!
Wednesday, November 28th at 6pm
McCune Mansion, 200 North Main Street in SLC
Light Appetizers and Libations
Our goal was to move the needle in a minimum of three state legislature races and WE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL with four new elected Democrats in the Utah House/Senate + retained Democratic seat + one retained moderate Republican!! We could not have done it without the great support of all of our members and friends, and without such a great lineup of candidates.
Winning candidates who we supported include:
Kathleen Riebe, Senate District 8 (Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons)
Lou Shurtliff, House District 10 (South Ogden and Weber County, Morgan County)
Ray Ward, House District 19 (Bountiful)
Suzanne Harrison, House District 32 (Sandy, Draper, White City)
Patrice Arent, House District 36 (Millcreek, Salt Lake, Holladay)
Andrew Stoddard, House District 44 (Murray and Midvale, along I-15 S)
Congratulations to the candidates for amazing campaigns. We are so excited to have you as part of the Utah State Legislature!
We also want to thank those candidates who put in a huge amount of time and effort but were not successful THIS time. 2020 is not that far away and these candidates are still excellent choices and now much stronger experience and name recognition for future races.
And thank you so much to our amazing PAC members for your generous support in money and time to help get these candidates elected.
Let us know if you are able to attend: Please click here to RSVP
WE DID IT!!!
A year and a half ago, the Utah Women and Politics group was just getting started with a couple dozen women sharing ideas for how we could make an impact. By last fall, we had created the Utah Women and Politics PAC - focused on moving the needle in the Utah State Legislature by supporting moderate/progressive and diverse candidates who will impact the laws and discussions here in Utah. We raised $125,000 (making us the largest Utah PAC!) and used nearly all the funds to support 12 excellent candidates.
Our goal was to move the needle in a minimum of three state legislature races and WE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL with FIVE new elected Democrats in the Utah House/Senate as well as one retained Democratic seat and one retained moderate Republican! These wins raise the House Democrat numbers from 12 to 16 (from 16% to 21%), raise the Senate Democrat numbers to 9 (from 17% to 31%), and moves the needle significantly!!
Winning candidates who we supported include:
Kathleen Riebe, Senate District 8 (Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons)
*Deana Froerer, House District 8 (Huntsville, Eastern Weber County)
We are waiting for final results in this district. Deana is currently leading by just 25 votes, at 93% of the votes in so keep your fingers crossed for a victory here!
Lou Shurtliff, House District 10 (South Ogden and Weber County, Morgan County)
Ray Ward, House District 19 (Bountiful)
Suzanne Harrison, House District 32 (Sandy, Draper, White City)
Patrice Arent, House District 36 (Millcreek, Salt Lake)
Andrew Stoddard, House District 44 (Murray and Midvale, along I-15 S)
Congratulations to the candidates for amazing campaigns. We are so excited to have you as part of the Utah State Legislature!
We also want to thank those candidates who put in a huge amount of time and effort but were not successful THIS time. 2020 is not that far away and these candidates are still excellent choices and now much stronger experience and name recognition for future races.
And thank you so much to our amazing PAC members for your generous support in money and time to help get these candidates elected.
Congratulations. We are just beginning. We are planning a victory celebration soon and will follow up with details. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
We're down to the last 30 days, and most of our candidates are in tight races and need every bit of support that we can offer. If you have a few minutes to write postcards, or join for an hour to make phone calls at one of our calling banks, or can chip in a little extra to a candidate you support - every bit of help would be appreciated!
PAC-SUPPORTED CANDIDATES
The vetting committee reviewed several more candidates and have recommended, in addition to the five candidates we are currently supporting, our PAC support for the following people. If any of these candidates are in your district, or you are interested in helping them, please reach out to them!
Kathleen Riebe, Senate District 8 (Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons)
Sign up for campaign emails: www.kathleenriebe.com/volunteer.html
UWP Coordinator: Gretchen Anderson gretchenganderson@msn.com
Clare Collard, Senate District 12 (West Valley, Magna, Tooele)
Website: www.electclarecollard.com
Email: electclarecollard@gmail.com
Deana Froerer, House District 8 (Huntsville, Eastern Weber County)
Sign up for campaign emails: froerer4house.com/copy-of-get-involved
UWP Coordinator, Kathryn Lindquist kathrynlindquist@comcast.net
Lou Shurtliff, House District 10 (South Ogden and Weber County, Morgan County)
Website: https://louforutahhouse.com/
Email: lmshurtliff@comcast.net
Jason Allen, House District 13 (Riverdale, Washington Terrace and part of South Ogden and Weber County)
Website: https://www.voteforjasonallen.com/
Email: JasonAllenHD11@gmail.com
Suzanne Harrison, House District 32 (Sandy, Draper, White City)
Sign up for campaign emails: https://docs.google.com/forms
UWP Coordinator: Dana Williamson danawmson13@gmail.com
Andrew Stoddard, House District 44 (Murray and Midvale, along I-15 S)
Sign up for campaign emails: voteandrewstoddard.com/volunteer/
UWP Coordinator - Holly Smith (smithholly9@gmail.com)
Anthony Sudweeks, House District 49 (East Sandy and East Draper)
Sign up for campaign emails: anthonysudweeks.com/volunteer.html
UWP Coordinators: Remlee Robins remlee@gmail.com and Sarah Belzer sarahbelzer@hotmail.com
Meaghan Miller, House District 54 (Heber City and Wasatch County)
Meaghan could use volunteers for her daily phone bank and knocking on doors every Sunday, click here for her Facebook page with details.
Website: www.votemiller54.com
Email: meaghan@votemiller54.com
Marsha Holland, House District 73 (Southeastern Utah including towns of Monticello, Knab, Beaver and Torrey and Surrounding Counties)
Website: www.marshaholland2018.com
Email: marshaholland2018@gmail.com
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Thursday, October 11, 6:00 pm: Fundraiser for Kathleen Riebe at the home of Rochelle Kaplan in Cottonwood Heights. If you would like to attend and/or bringing a guest, please RSVP to Rochelle at (801) 201-2177
Tuesday, October 23, 6:00 pm: Volunteer Night at the home of Marilyn Paine. We will be making candidate telephone calls and addressing postcards for our candidates. This will be an important volunteer evening as the ballots will have already been mailed out the registered voters. Please RSVP on our website at utahwomenandpolitics.org/canvassing
Saturday, November 3, 9:00 am - Noon: Walk/ call for Candidates. Location TBD. Please RSVP on our website at utahwomenandpolitics.org/canvassing
We thank you for all of your support so far, and encourage you to do what you can in the last few weeks to help.
MEMBER MEETING
Mark your calendars for a membership/ working meeting at Evolutionary Healthcare on Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:00 pm. We may have some candidates update us on their campaigns and/or have some sponsors of initiatives tell us more about their efforts, but mostly we will be having members help our candidates by making phone calls and writing postcards to constituents. So, come prepared to learn and work!
We had a productive evening on Wednesday at Carol Osborn's home with a group of about 12 volunteers to write postcards and make calls to registered voters on behalf of our supported candidates. It was a lot of fun and we're happy that we can provide this support in addition to money.
PAC-SUPPORTED CANDIDATES
The vetting committee reviewed several more candidates and have recommended, in addition to the five candidates we are currently supporting, our PAC support for the following people. If any of these candidates are in your district, or you are interested in helping them, please reach out to them!
*NEW* Clare Collared, Senate District 12 (West Valley, Magna, Tooele)
In addition to her 20-year career in the credit union industry, Clare has been active in community efforts and non-profits in Magna. Clare does canvassing on Tuesdays and Saturdays, as well as other volunteer opportunities, so please email her if you are interested.
Website: www.electclarecollard.com
Email: electclarecollard@gmail.com
*NEW* Lou Shurtliff, House District 10 (South Ogden and Weber County, Morgan County)
Lou was a teacher for 28 years and also served in the Utah House for 10 years before taking a hiatus - she's back and a wonderful candidate,
Website: https://louforutahhouse.com/
Email: lmshurtliff@comcast.net
*NEW* Meaghan Miller, House District 54 (Heber City and Wasatch County)
Meaghan won the Democratic party's nomination in convention over another candidate and has a decade of healthcare and clinical experience. Meaghan could use volunteers for her daily phone bank and knocking on doors every Sunday, click here for her Facebook page with details.
Website: www.votemiller54.com
Email: meaghan@votemiller54.com
*NEW* Marsha Holland, House District 73 (Southeastern Utah including towns of Monticello, Knab, Beaver and Torrey and Surrounding Counties)
Marsha is a small business owner, active in many local non-profits and community organizations in Garfield County, and is running against Phil Lyman.
Website: www.marshaholland2018.com
Email: marshaholland2018@gmail.com
Kathleen Riebe, Senate District 8 (Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons)
Sign up for campaign emails: www.kathleenriebe.com/volunteer.html
UWP Coordinator: Gretchen Anderson gretchenganderson@msn.com
Deana Froerer, House District 8 (Huntsville, Eastern Weber County)
Sign up for campaign emails: froerer4house.com/copy-of-get-involved
UWP Coordinator, Kathryn Lindquist kathrynlindquist@comcast.net
Anthony Sudweeks, House District 49 (East Sandy and East Draper)
Sign up for campaign emails: anthonysudweeks.com/volunteer.html
UWP Coordinators: Remlee Robins remlee@gmail.com and Sarah Belzer sarahbelzer@hotmail.com
Suzanne Harrison, House District 32 (Sandy, Draper, White City)
Sign up for campaign emails: https://docs.google.com/forms
UWP Coordinator: Dana Williamson danawmson13@gmail.com
Andrew Stoddard, House District 44 (Murray and Midvale, along I-15 S)
Sign up for campaign emails: voteandrewstoddard.com/volunteer/
UWP Coordinator - Holly Smith (smithholly9@gmail.com)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Tuesday, October 2, 5:30-8:00 pm: Deana Froerer is participating in the Know Where to Go Night presented by LUV Ogden. Middle DaVinci, 215 22nd St. in Ogden, UT. Educator Panel Q&A with light dinner provided
Wed, October 3, 7:00 pm: Deana Froerer will be at the Utah House District 8 Candidate Forum. Orion Junior High, 370 W. 2000 N. St, Harrisville, UT 84414.
Thursday, October 4, 5:30pm: Fundraiser for Anthony Sudweeks at 315 Second Avenue in Salt Lake City. Please RSVP here: http://evite.me/Nj8MxzyzST
Thursday, October 11, 6:00 pm: Fundraiser for Kathleen Riebe at the home of Rochelle Kaplan in Cottonwood Heights. If you would like to attend and/or bringing a guest, please RSVP to Rochelle at (801) 201-2177
Tuesday, October 23, 6:00 pm: Volunteer Night at the home of Marilyn Paine. We will be making candidate telephone calls and addressing postcards for our candidates. This will be an important volunteer evening as the ballots will have already been mailed out the registered voters. Please RSVP on our website at utahwomenandpolitics.org/canvassing
Saturday, November 3, 9:00 am - Noon: Walk/ call for Candidates. Location TBD. Please RSVP on our website at utahwomenandpolitics.org/canvassing
There are now less than 50 days until the election. We need to do everything we can to support our candidates for many wins in November. Engage!!!
Dear Utah Women & Politics Friends,
What a wonderful evening at Marguerite's lovely home and an amazing feast for all of us. Thank you, Marguerite, for all that you do for UWP-PAC.
Upcoming Events
We need your help in extending invitations
Wednesday, August 15 - 6:00 - 800 PM - Salt Lake City
UWP-PAC awareness and fundraising reception at the home of Candy Taylor. Attached to this update is an invitation to Candy's reception. Please forward to anyone who you think might be interested in supporting or learning more about Utah Women & Politics - PAC and invite them to join us.
Friday, August 17 - 4:30 - 6:30 - Ogden Utah
Ogden Balloon Festival Reception
Renaissance Chalet, 6949 East 1900 North, Eden, Utah
This reception supported by our candidate Deana Froerer, will be an opportunity to introduce the Ogden community and voters to Utah Woman and Politics. We are asking for a $100/person donation to this event. Tickets are available on our website at: utahwomenandpolitics.org/balloon
Again, we're attaching our invitation in the hope that you will share it with friends in Ogden or Salt Lake who might want to join us.
Better Boundaries
Now known as Proposition 4 on the November Ballot. Catherine Kanter brought the group up to date on the proposition. It IS on the ballot and the importance for all of us is getting out the vote to see that it is passed. Call your friends and engage everyone you know about the importance of this initiative designed to bring competition back into Utah's elections and eventually a better balance in our legislature and all our elective offices. If you want more information or to volunteer, please contact Catherine (catherine.kanter@chicagoadvisory.com) or info@betterboundaries.org.
Voterise
Elsa Gary outlined the work of Voterise, an organization that she and her husband, Dick, started several year's ago. The purpose is to register individuals to vote, so that elections are not decided by the few but the many. Their focus has been on younger voters and they have had stunning success in registering voters - but more importantly seeing that those registered turn out to vote. Their track record is that 79% of their registered voters vote! Their current initiative "The 2020 Campaign" is to recruit 1,000 women to register 20 new voters each. Utah Women & Politics can go a long way toward helping them meet this goal if each of us commits to being one of the 1,000 and recruiting 20 women. If you didn't get a chance to pick up a 2020 Voterise Packet, please contact Justin@voterise.org for materials and information.
Our Candidates!!
Diane Stewart, co-chair of the Candidate Support Committee, reported that all of our supported candidates have demonstrated that they are on track and that we have sent a second check to each of them to continue their good work.
Each of our candidates talked about their progress. All are diligently knocking on doors, making phone calls, getting campaign materials into constituent hands, attending house parties and civic meetings, and more! However, they can all use our help. If you are able, please pick at least one of the candidates to support -- you can go to each candidate's website to sign up for emails with ongoing volunteer opportunities and updates, or if you have questions or ideas for coordinating a group volunteer effort, you can reach out to the Candidate Liaison from Utah Women & Politics - PAC (listed below).
Anthony Sudweeks, House District 49 (East Sandy and East Draper)
SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN EMAILS: anthonysudweeks.com/volunteer.html
UWP COORDINATORS: Remlee Robins remlee@gmail.com and Sarah Belzer sarahbelzer@hotmail.com
Suzanne Harrison, House District 32 (Sandy, Draper, White City)
SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN EMAILS: https://docs.google.com/forms
UWP Coordinator: Dana Williamson (danawmson13@gmail.com)
Deana Froerer, House District 8 (Huntsville, Eastern Weber County)
SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN EMAILS: froerer4house.com/copy-of-get-involved
UWP Coordinator, Kathryn Lindquist (kathrynlindquist@comcast.net)
Andrew Stoddard, House District 44 (Murray and Midvale, along I-15 S)
SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN EMAILS: voteandrewstoddard.com/volunteer/
UWP Coordinator - Holly Smith (smithholly9@gmail.com)
Kathleen Riebe, Senate District 8 (Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons)
SIGN UP FOR CAMPAIGN EMAILS: kathleenriebedistrict10.com/volunteer.html
UWP Coordinator: Gretchen Anderson (gretchenganderson@msn.com)
There are less than 100 days now until the November election. Our candidates need all the support we can provide so that they will ALL win in November. Please support them in whatever ways you can. Think about pulling together a "calling night" at your home and get phone numbers of unaffiliated voters in one of our candidate's districts and make calls, along with wine and cheese and good friends. Be creative, but be involved.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
Thank you all for everything you are doing to move the needle.
Onward,
Cindy
Utah Women & Politics House Party in Park City at Eileen Mullane's home
Elizabeth Warren Fundraiser in SLC
Orton & McKay Dinner in Ogden with UWP-PAC Candidate Deana Froer
Utah Women & Politics event hosted by Sarah Belzer, Remlee Robins and Suzette Eaton in July
Including information from the Indivisible group on actions to take + a link to the local Utah event.
Trigger warning: Graphic descriptions and depictions of violence against immigrants below.
Families belong together.
It’s that simple.
For decades, the United States’ immigration system has been in crisis. 11 million undocumented immigrants who live and work in our communities want nothing more than to contribute more to our country. Of that number, 1.8 million are young people -- Dreamers -- graduating from high school and college with no idea what their future holds. Tens of thousands of families from Central America -- El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras -- flee violence and seeking refuge, with legitimate claims for asylum. And while the media might sensationalize border crossings, nearly half of immigrants who become undocumented are those who arrive with valid visas.
Our antiquated immigration system was never equipped to support them, and our politicians have let them down.
Under Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has had free reign and a blank check to terrorize immigrants and their families. They’ve systematically targeted immigrant communities -- aiming to jail or deport as many as possible in support of the Donald-Trump-Jeff-Sessions-Stephen-Miller-style xenophobic, racist, white supremacist agenda.
And now we’ve seen just how heinous the Trump Administration’s plans were all along.
In April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero-tolerance policy to prosecute anyone who crosses the border illegally, and advocates braced for the worst. Just weeks into this policy, the country has already watched and listened to too many stories of immigrant parents and their children being separated at the border. Children torn from their parents. Assigned a number. Sent to tents in the desert or to cages in cold, overcrowded warehouses and former Walmarts.
Our country cannot unsee these atrocities. Activists and politicians alike are speaking out and proposing solutions -- but it's critical that we all understand what's on the table, and how we can support what will help, not hurt, immigrant families.
Under activist pressure, Trump signed an executive order that he claims ends family separation at the U.S. border. And just what is Trump’s solution to the crisis he created? Family jails. This is not a solution.
It’s unclear exactly what the impact of this executive order will be, but here’s what we know: It leaves in place the zero-tolerance policy that is causing family separations at the U.S. border, but seeks to get around a court-ordered decree, known as the Flores settlement, that established protections for immigrant children from indefinite detainment by the federal government. In other words, he’s trying to create family jails to hold immigrant children and parents indefinitely. This is state-sponsored child abuse. It means more cages for indefinite periods of times for immigrant families INCLUDING children.
We must continue the fight for justice and resist any attempts of the Trump administration to bandage wrap this continuing humanitarian crisis.
Take action to end family separation at the border:
We have to be honest, things are changing quickly. Even though Trump signed an executive order, there are multiple pieces of legislation moving right now -- two in the House and more to come in the Senate:
Two bad, Republican-sponsored bills in the House (read about them here) are aimed at passing extreme anti-immigrant bills that do nothing to solve the refugee crisis or provide protections for Dreamers. The Goodlatte-McCaul bill radically restructures our immigration system, pays for the border wall, eliminates the diversity visa program, restricts access to asylum, and much, much more. The Paul Ryan proposal is similar to the Goodlatte-McCaul bill and allows for mandatory and indefinite detention of immigrant children and their parents.
In the Senate, there are multiple efforts to address family separation. All Democrats have sponsored Dianne Feinstein’s Keep Families Together Act to end family separation at the border. Sen. Cruz (R-TX) and other Republicans, however, are pursuing their own bills that would essentially codify Trump’s executive order.
The most important thing we can do is make sure that none of the anti-immigrant bills in the House and Senate become law. They would result in mass, indefinite detention of immigrant families.
Here’s what we need you to do right now:
→ This week: Read our resource and tell your MoCs to vote NO on bad immigration bills.
→ June 30 (National #FamiliesBelongTogether Day of Action):We’re proudly joining the #FamiliesBelongTogether coalition led by National Domestic Workers Alliance, We Belong Together, ACLU, MoveOn, Women’s Refugee Commission, and others to organize mass mobilizations in DC and around the country. Find the closest (or plan your own!) #FamiliesBelongTogether event to you here.
→ June 29 through July 8 (July 4 recess): MoCs and their staff head home for a few days. That means it your chance to make your MoCs answer to you! Check out our organizing toolkit for more information on how you can start preparing for recess.
What you do in this moment matters
We’re proud of, and inspired by, the Indivisible groups already taking action, declaring that #FamiliesBelongTogether.
Trump’s draconian immigration policies are a threat to us all, no matter where we come from. When we permit inhumane actions on vulnerable communities, we tell the world that we value blind partisanship over common dignity. And we follow the same path that led to some of the darkest moments in America’s history.
Long story short, anyone who doesn’t speak out or turns a blind eye is complicit.
What you do -- what our country does -- in this moment will define a generation. It’s critical that we show up in full force for immigrant families, those already here and those who seek refuge. So make a call. Show up. Increase the pressure.
Thousands of families need you to support their fight.
In solidarity,
The Indivisible Team
http://indivisible.actionkit.com/mailings/view/23201?t=15&akid=23201%2E636178%2EwfQWym
Dear Utah Women & Politics,
Our meeting last night at Evolutionary Healthcare was truly inspiring. We had a good crowd to meet the initial five candidates that the Utah Women & Politics PAC is supporting. What an impressive group of candidates: intelligent, passionate, engaged and positioning themselves win.
We also appreciate all of the member enthusiasm at the meeting and want to continue the momentum. One of our members offered to cater a house party in each of the districts for our five candidates. Our PAC also agreed to take a table at the Orton & McKay dinner scheduled at The Bigelow in Ogden on June 22 at 6:00 pm. All proceeds help support the Weber County democrats in building the local party, and recruiting and supporting candidates, and building a base of involved citizens that believe in balanced and reasoned representation at the local, state and national level. Deana believes this event will support her campaign. If you're interested in attending, please let us know.
This is just the beginning. We have five months until election day and NOW is really the time to engage.
The Candidates
Here are the candidates that we have currently elected to support. After the primaries, we may add more. They need our support - our money, time and talent. We've started with the money. Contact these remarkable candidates and find out how you can help. They can all win with our continued help.
Deana Froerer (House 8)
www.froerer4house.com
deana@froerer4house.com
(801) 388-7162
District: Weber County, Ogden
Suzanne Harrison (House 32)
http://votesuzanneharrison.com/
votesuzanneharrison@gmail.com
(801) 999-8047
District: Sandy, Draper and White City
Kathleen Riebe (Senate 8)
www.kathleenriebe.com
mskriebe@gmail.com
(801) 599-5753
District: Midvale, Cottonwood Heights, Draper
Andrew Stoddard (House 44)
www.voteandrewstoddard.com
voteandrewstoddarad@gmail.com
(385) 722-4183
District: Murray, Midvale and Sandy
Anthony Sudweeks (House 49)
www.anthonysudweeks.com
anthony.sudweeks@gmail.com
(801) 884-7950
District: Sandy, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Midvale, Dimple Dell
It's Time to Engage. Here are ways that you can help:
Walk for a candidate
Put out yard signs
Send out postcards
Volunteer to make phone calls/answer calls
Host a house party for a candidate or our PAC
Work to sign up new voters
Provide administrative support
Post your support on social media
Write personal notes to encourage other voters to support a candidate (Deana Froerer really needs voters in her district for this. Please contact Deana if you have friends or family in her district)
And more. Be creative!
Use the contact information above to reach out to candidates you are interested in supporting and find out how you can best help.
Next Meeting
We will schedule a follow-up meeting with the candidates at the end of July/early August to be updated on their progress. We'll keep you posted on progress, as well as any new candidates that emerge for support. Committees will continue to meet to work on specific areas as needed – you can join one here www.utahwomenandpolitics.org/committee-signup.
If you haven't yet made a contribution to Utah Women and Politics PAC. now is the time to do so. www.utahwomenandpolitics.org/take-action/
Finally, a big thank you to Carol Osborn and the Vetting Committee for selecting an amazing and electable group of a candidates. And to Diane Stewart and Christine Gailey and the Candidate Support Committee for arranging financial support and tracking the progress candidates. And finally, to Marguerite Henderson and her amazing Program Committee who put together tonight's program which Marguerite catered (beautiful and delicious food). Thank you all!
Thank you all for the great work you are all doing. Don't stop. This is just the beginning.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Lucinda L Kindred
Somewhere on your election ballot this year will be a race for the county or district attorney — the top prosecutor in the county where you live.
How important is the county attorney? Does it matter who gets elected? What should a voter look for in a candidate? These are questions that you might not ask unless you are a lawyer or otherwise have been affected by a prosecutor’s decision.
But no matter who you are, the local county attorney is the most powerful actor in your local criminal justice system. He or she directs important investigations, decides if search warrants should be sought, determines if a suspect can be charged with a crime and makes sentencing recommendations. Most cases are fairly routine from a legal perspective; some are not. But even if you aren’t engaged with the criminal justice system, the myriad decisions of county attorneys can impact people and society located far beyond the courtroom.
As someone who spent eight years as a federal prosecutor, and many years dealing with prosecutors from the other side of the table, I believe that county attorneys — more than judges or defense lawyers — have more power to do good or ill than any other player in the criminal justice system. For example, if a 15-year-old commits a serious crime, a prosecutor must decide if the teen should be charged as an adult. Make the wrong decision, and the consequences may lead to more societal problems than if the teen was assigned to the juvenile system where more treatment is available. These can be hard decisions, requiring a good sense of what is best for the individual and society as a whole. Based on my years of experience, it is easy for prosecutors to act “tough” and always seek the maximum charges and most stringent punishments. It is much more difficult — but extremely important from a community standpoint — to be fair and seek what is just and appropriate for each case.
One of the many challenges county attorneys face is oversight of local law enforcement. The police, of course, are the prosecutor’s investigators and they often work closely together. But when members of the police department are alleged to have violated the law, the decisions made by the local county attorney become essential. Like any other level of democratic government, there must be checks and balances — and the prosecutor, in overseeing alleged inappropriate or illegal police conduct — must have the courage and judgment to investigate these allegations effectively to all concerned, including any victims.
Fortunately, this year you will have the ability to elect the top prosecutor in your county. Politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, support replacing “tough-on-crime” policies with “smart-on-crime” alternatives. I believe that policies, not political affiliation, should guide decisions about electing the very best prosecutor candidate. That position of responsibility is too important to allow politics to dictate a result. To make the best decision, gather as much information as you can about the candidates in your jurisdiction and consider these key questions:
The choice is yours. Even if you consider yourself far removed from the decisions of a county attorney, your proximity to their influence on incarceration rates, recidivism rates and police misconduct is much closer than you think.
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Jim Moore is a retired lawyer and a 12-year veteran of the Department of Justice where he worked as a federal prosecutor in Seattle. He also served as general counsel and senior executive vice president at the Huntsman Corporation.
Dear Utah Women & Politics PAC Members,
Thank you to everyone who attended our meeting on Tuesday, April 3rd at Evolutionary Healthcare. We had a productive preliminary PAC Candidate Support meeting.
Meeting Recap
Crystal Young-Otterstrom provided the group with an intense civics 101 course on the election process: candidate eligibility, caucus procedures, delegate selection, convention (county and state) candidate selection processes and when there is need for a primary race and how the signature process fits into that. A much appreciated overview.
The Candidate Vetting Committee chaired by Carol Osborn has been meeting over the past month to review candidate applications posted to the UWP website. The committee has interviewed all candidates in person and, in many cases, followed up directly with the candidates for specific information. The committee has also helped to recruit candidates for selected districts where turning a seat is a possibility. Districts have been ranked based on past voting patterns to identify those districts that have the best chance to change or move the needle. With this background and the extensive research applied to each candidate, the following candidate slate was proposed for support. After discussion, the slate was put to a vote and unanimously approved by the membership in attendance.
Recommend primary delegate support
Kathleen Riebe, Senate District 8
Recommend general election support now
Deana Froerer, House District 8
Suzanne Harrison, House District 32
Andrew Stoddard, House District 44
Anthony Sudweeks, House District 49
Races we're watching & may recommend financial support later (but not at this time)
DeLaina Tonks, Senate District 11
Our support for Kathleen Riebe is immediate to help get her through the convention with enough delegate votes so her race doesn’t need to go to a primary race.
NOTE: This is the first round of candidates seeking support. Additional applications continue to be submitted and the committee will continue to vet and bring names to the membership for PAC support.
Next Steps on Candidates
The approved candidates names will be forwarded to the Candidate Support Committee, co-chaired by Christine Gailey and Diane Stewart, which will determine the level and benchmarks for our financial support along with additional support that may be required, e.g. fundraising parties, list maintenance, neighborhood walks, volunteer recruitment, etc.
Upcoming Meetings and More
We will send another announcement for the next general membership meeting (probably mid-May) where we might be voting on additional candidates for PAC support and where we will be bringing PAC supported candidates in for the membership to meet and hear their platforms and winning strategies.
In the mean time, check the utahwomenandpolitics.org website to see how you can get engaged in the races and continue to support UWP through its committees and fundraising. The list of candidates we are currently supporting is listed here utahwomenandpolitics.org/pac-endorsements. We are also calling for volunteers to host small house parties (we will help you organize it!) as fundraisers to help reach our $100,000 goal.
Thank you all for all your support and all that you do. We are on our way. We won’t stop until we make the difference we all seek to make our legislature more representative and responsive to the needs and desires of its citizens. Let us know if you have questions.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Lucinda L Kindred
Dear Utah Women & Politics Members,
This email is a reminder of our meeting on Tuesday, April 3rd at 6:00pm at Evolutionary Healthcare, 461 East 200 South, Suite #100. If you want to bring a "snack" and or wine, it would be appreciated. The purpose of this meeting will be to vote on the candidates that the Candidate Vetting Committee is recommending for UWP-PAC support. As additional candidates request our support, we will continue to review their applications and present them to our membership for PAC support.
The Agenda for the meeting:
Civics 101
Crystal Young-Otterstrom will be giving us a civics lesson on candidate eligibility, the caucus process, the conventions, primaries and (once elected) the legislative process. Many of you have requested this information and I know Crystal will do a thorough and complete overview.
Candidate Voting
The last 2-3 candidates in the first round will be interviewed by the Candidate Vetting Committee on Monday. After the interviews on Monday, you will be notified, and candidates and their applications will be posted on a secure part of the website. Note that different candidates have different needs; the ranking will be clear in Monday’s message. The names you get on Monday are the candidates who are recommended for consideration and will be voted on Tuesday. Once you have the candidate information, please review BEFORE we meet on Tuesday. Copies will not be available at the meeting. Please note: you need to have made your minimum donation to be admitted to the voting meeting. A simple majority of votes of members in attendance at the Tuesday meeting will be required to move candidates forward to the Candidate Support Committee.
After candidates are approved by the membership, the names will be forwarded to the Candidate Support Committee. Some Candidate Vetting Committee Members may attend the Candidate Support Committee meeting to provide additional information based on the in-person discussions with the candidates, and to ensure a smooth transition. The Candidate Support Committee will consider which support activities will be needed to help candidates win in the identified districts.
In addition, the Program & Events Committee will be setting up programs to provide members with the opportunity to meet the supported candidates to find out more about their campaigns, platforms and strategy.
New Business
We still have about $20,000 to raise to meet our $100,000 PAC funding goal. If you are willing or have friends who might be willing, we would appreciate it if you would host a fundraising event so that we can tell more people about our PAC and hopefully raise the additional $20,000. Please let me or Marguerite Henderson (margueriteh100 (at) hotmail.com), chair of the Program & Events Committee, know of your or others’ interest in hosting a fundraising party.
We are excited about the candidates that we have identified for PAC consideration. We believe with the right amount of money and womanpower, they can win and we can begin to move the needle. Thank you for all that you do and your support of this important undertaking.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Dear Utah Women & Politics Members and Friends,
General Meeting
This is a reminder to save the date for our next meeting on April 3rd, when we will meet to review the recommendations of the Vetting Committee for preliminary candidates that we will consider supporting. We don't anticipate that this will include all candidates that we might support, but will include a discussion of the candidates the committee has been able to review applications from and meet with thus far. We anticipate more applications will be submitted as additional viable candidates are identified.
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 3rd at 6pm
Location: Evolutionary Healthcare at 461 E 200 S #100, in Salt Lake City
Committee Updates
Once candidates are approved for support, the Candidate Support Committee will determine the level of funding support along with other support that candidates might need from the PAC.
The Program & Events Committee has also begun meeting and planning for upcoming events. This committee will help arrange for candidates to attend our meetings so that we can meet them in person, hear about their platforms and plans, and ask questions. In addition, the Program & Events Committee will help organize a series of small fundraising receptions in Salt Lake City and Park City to introduce new people to UWP-PAC and to help raise the final $20,000 to get us to our $100,000 goal. Any member who might be interested in hosting a party or assisting us in this endeavor, we could use your support along with your network of friends to invite.
If you are interested in volunteering to be on one of these committees or others, please go to the Committee Volunteer Form on our website and register. We'd love to have you.
We also want to know more about your skills, talents, etc. so we can tap into it and help the candidates with the needs they will require to build a strong campaign and win an election. Will you please take just a minute to complete this survey? Member Survey
Fundraising
We had a wonderful evening at the McCune Mansion to introduce women under 40 to UWP-PAC. We had a crowd of over 100 attend. We certainly raised awareness for our group and our goals, and are hoping additional donations come in from women who attended this event. If you know women who attended, please encourage them to make a donation to UWP - PAC.
While the UWP-PAC only supports candidates for the Utah State Legislature at this time, one of our members (Bev Cooper) is actively involved in the Rosie Rivera for County Sheriff campaign and wanted you all to know about it. Rosie is the first woman sheriff Chief in Utah and the first Hispanic Womena sheriff in the nation. Click to read more about Bev's request for support on the UWP-PAC website blog.
Things are happening. We're excited and optimistic as we hope you are. We are eager to share our findings with the entire membership and hope you will all plan on attending our April 3rd meeting.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Dear Friends,
I agreed to help Rosie Rivera, Salt Lake County Sheriff, in her re-election campaign and I want you to join me.
Rosie is the first woman elected to this office in Utah and there is more. She has spent the last 25 years in law enforcement, watching, listening, learning and thinking about how to improve the Sheriff's department, the United Police Department and the jail. Here is the Tribune article about her election: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/12/17/once-a-teenage-mom-and-high-school-dropout-rosie-rivera-utahs-first-female-sheriff-worked-hard-and-kept-at-it-to-blaze-the-trail-shes-on/ .
I know that you will agree that given the challenges we are facing with immigration, homelessness and the opioid epidemic (just to name a few), we need someone like Rosie who has demonstrated a commitment to compassionate, wise and professional leadership.
Here's how you can help. We are planning a fundraiser at Frida Bistro on April 7th from 7 - 9:00 pm that is generously donated by Jorge Fiero. The official invitation will be ready in a minute. You could:
Please let me know ASAP how you want to help (email Bev at brc211 (at) gmail.com) We are finalizing the invitation in the next couple of days. Thank you. Bev
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Beverley Cooper
Dear Utah Women & Politics Members and Friends,
We wanted to give you an update and date for the next meeting.
Fundraising
We had two very successful fundraisers this month. Nancy Garbett hosted a lovely evening on Thursday, February 15, in her beautiful home in Park City. The group was very interested and small enough that we could have a very informative conversation about Utah Women & Politics, our PAC and politics in Utah. We raised almost $3,000 that evening.
Our younger members put together an amazing evening on Wednesday, February 21 for over 100 women under 40 at the McCune Mansion, graciously donated by Mary McCarthey. What a beautiful venue and an enthusiastic and energetic evening. We still don't have a bottom line of that fundraising event.
Remember that you can donate online and we urge you to consider a donation to our PAC if you haven't already done so. We have about another $20,000 that we need to raise in order to meet our goal of $100,000 and becoming the highest funded state PAC ever in Utah.
Committees
The Candidate Vetting Committee is well under way and has been meeting almost weekly. The Committee continues to meet with candidates who have declared in those districts where we believe we have a good chance of winning. And where strong candidates haven't emerged, the group is working to recruit good candidates for those races. We should have a pretty good idea of the candidates in each district by the candidate declaration filing deadline of March 15. We hope to have finished most of the candidate vetting and be able to present a slate of candidates for our support by our next UWP meeting on Tuesday, April 3. Hopefully we will be able to get the candidates themselves to the meeting so that you have a chance to hear why they are running and how they plan on winning.
If you have not yet signed up for a committee, please go to utahwomenandpolitics.org/committee-signup and sign up. As we're moving into the election very soon, we know there will be a lot of work to do with the PAC and with the candidates. Let us know your interests and how you'd like to work on the PAC or the campaigns.
Next Meeting
Please HOLD THE DATE of Tuesday, April 3 for our next meeting to learn about the candidates the Vetting Committee is recommending and to vote on our support for those candidates. We will send a follow up reminder closer to the date.
Member Skills Database
We are also hoping to assemble a member database of the skills, places, talents, services, and networks that this amazing group has, so we can tap into it and help the candidates with the needs they will require to build a strong campaign and win an election. Will you please take just a minute to complete this survey and let us know your talents and skills? utahwomenandpolitics.org/member-survey (https://www.utahwomenandpolitics.org/member-survey)
We're excited by the enthusiasm and level of support we are receiving from all of you and others in the community. If any of you would like to host a small group in your home to introduce them to the PAC and our purpose - and to raise funds - let me know.
And, let me know if you have any other ideas and suggestions for Utah Women & Politics and the PAC.
Cindy
FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2018, 2:26 PM
Nancy Reynolds looks like no one’s idea of a revolutionary, least of all her own. She has a quick and contagious smile, shiny coiffed hair, a bad knee, and four grandchildren. Heartbroken after the defeat of Hillary Clinton—for whom Reynolds had spent long hours canvassing in the fall of 2016—she marched in protest in January 2017. When the 2018 anniversary march rolled around, she made sure to fit it in, but it wasn’t easy. These days Nancy Reynolds has campaigns to run: as Hampton Township coordinator for one friend’s Pennsylvania state senate campaign; as a canvass organizer for the slate of first-time candidates she helped elect to Hampton town council in November 2017, breaking long decades of Republican dominance; and now as signature-gatherer for her own campaign for election to her local Democratic Party committee as well. A retired children’s librarian, Nancy has long been a powerhouse within her local community, which is nestled in Pittsburgh’s northern suburbs. Prior to 2016, local and state politics were not on her radar screen. Now they dominate her to-do list every day.
Click to continue reading: https://democracyjournal.org/arguments/middle-america-reboots-democracy/
