Doug Wilson
Herald-Whig Senior Writer
Democrats are celebrating their recent election victories and trying to lay the groundwork for future gains during Democrat Days.
"A lot of people turned Northeast Missouri a little bluer than it used to be on the red and blue dials," said Sen. Wes Shoemyer, D-Clarence.
Democrat Days co-chairman John Yancey cited voter backlash against President Bush and the Republican majority, but noted there also might have been regional motivations.
Others in attendance agreed.
"I think there's been a real unhappiness with what's going on in Washington and in Jefferson City," said former Rep. Robert Clayton III. "And when they're unhappy, they come out looking for alternatives and at Democrat Days they're definitely going to get different alternatives."
Rep. Rachel Bringer, D-Palmyra, said Northeast Missouri had more gains for Democrats than any other part of the state. Six of nine House seats are now held by Democrats and Shoemyer holds the Senate seat.
Others believe Democrats made big gains in the region because of a new mindset and approach to governance.
"We finally got organized and formed the Northeast Missouri Democrats. I believe if other areas would do this and do grassroots type things it would bring out more voters and the Democrat party would be stronger," said Mackey Johnston, a precinct committeeman from Newark.
Rep. Tom Shively, D-Shelbyville, pointed out a group of young volunteers who helped him win Linn County during his campaign last fall against incumbent Rep. Kathy Chinn, R-Clarence.
Shively wants to see more young people involved in politics. They may be motivated to get involved when they hear about the financial bills their generation may have to pay due to decisions by today's politicians.
Rep. Paul Quinn, D-Monroe City, has been attending Democrat Days for years. He spent 22 years in Monroe County offices before winning his legislative seat last November. He thought his schedule was busy before, but Quinn now sees lots of days where his activities calendar is full for 12, 13 or more hours.
Still, it's been an enjoyable experience so far and Quinn felt relaxed and at ease visiting with constituents gathered at the Hannibal Inn.
Shoemyer said the annual Democrat gathering is a good way to hear from voters. It's also good for energizing the party faithful.
Duane Burghard of Columbia was trying to energize the crowd in other ways. He took training from Al Gore so he could do slide presentations dealing with Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which deals with global warming. Burghard was set to do two presentations during Democrat Days.
Burghard unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, last fall. He said while talking with Hulshof after the final results were in, the incumbent told him that while Burghard had lost, many of the issues he espoused won nationwide.
More than 700 people had registered for this year's event. That's up from many non-election years.
Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, who is expected to challenge Gov. Matt Blunt next year, is expected to attend the banquet tonight. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., also is expected to attend. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., will be the keynote speaker.
Contact Senior Writer Doug Wilson at dwilson@whig.com or (217) 221-3372
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