March was certainly in like a lion and out like a lamb, thank you to all who have supported us as we continue to press forward in making 2022 a fantastic election year!

There are some great spring time events coming up. Whether you like to gather and connect with fellow Democrats, or are passionate about volunteering to help support a candidate to office, we have it all here for you! 

Due to legal challenges with the legislative and congressional redistricting maps, the candidate filing deadline has been delayed to April 15, 2022! We are still looking for people to run for office, so if you are interested please reach out!

If you aren’t ready to run for office, but still want to help, consider joining a candidate committee to help with a particular campaign! This is your chance to make a difference, so reach out to us at [email protected] for more information!

Democratic Central Committee

A reminder that the Skipjack Gala is this Friday 4/8 at 6pm! We will not be able to accept credit cards at the event, but you can purchase your drink and raffle tickets ahead of time at this link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/skipjacksales

Upcoming Events:

May 5th, from 5pm-7pm come out for an election meet and greet at Antoinette's Garden in Leonardtown!  

Recent Happenings 

The Cherry Blossom Festival took place at Lexington Manor Passive Park on Saturday 3/26. It was a great day to have fun the park and learn about all of the wonderful groups and organizations within the community. Thank you to all who volunteered at the event!

On 3/20, Tom Perez, Democratic Candidate for Governor  Came to visit St. Mary's County. 

The Skipjack Circle

The Primary Election is just a few months away on July 19th, with the General Election on November 8th! We’re going to need all the help we can get to build a strong and successful democratic presence in St. Mary’s County. One of the easiest ways you can help is to join our recurring donor program, Skipjack Circle. 

Members have already enjoyed exclusive benefits (read more here: https://www.stmarysdemocrats.org/skipjack_circle) over the past year–so don’t miss out! One of the perks for donors at the Potomac and Chesapeake Levels are tickets to the Skipjack Gala–so join now ahead of the Gala this April! Visit our donation page to join, and don’t forget to make your donation recur monthly!

Democratic Club

On May 20th, The Democratic Club is hosting a social hour / meet the candidates event!  The event will take place at the Olde Town Pub in Leonardtown and will be from 5-7 pm in the outdoor covered area.

The next Democratic Club meeting is scheduled for April 18th on zoom.  Delegate Brian Crosby will be joining us to give us an update on the 2022 General Assembly Session. The meeting will be held virtually. Please email Julia Nichols for information on joining the meeting. [email protected]

You may now pay your dues online. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $35 for a family. To join, renew, or make a donation to the club online please visit St. Mary’s Democratic Club Paypal [https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/stmarysdemclub] .

When paying, please include your email address and indicate whether you are a new or renewing member.

You can also mail a check to:

St. Mary’s County Democratic Club

PO BOX 631

Leonardtown, MD 20650

I Am St. Mary's

Cherry Blossom Festival: Thank you so very much to JJ Perryman, Juliette Brown, and Carolyn Siebert for being at our table conducting Voter Registration and enduring the cold and wind gusts.

Voter Registration Volunteer Training: In March, we had two Voter Registration Volunteer training sessions at the Board of Elections with over 20 women now qualified to register voters. We plan to be at the various county events and in the community registering voters.

Proven fact: Direct voter contact is key to increasing voter turnout. We have volunteers writing post cards to 700 newly registered Democrats in St. Mary’s County in 2021. Next, we’ll be sending post cards to the 2022 newly registered Democrats to encourage them to vote. 

April 25–The next general meeting of IAMSTMARYS, Democratic Women of St. Mary’s will be Monday, April 25, at 6:00 pm for socializing and 6:30pm for business. We’ll be at the Lexington Park Library Meeting Room B. We plan to have Zoom too and will send out the link and post to FB a few days before. Topics will be focused on GOTV activities in our county for upcoming 2022 elections.

Monthly General Meetings—IAMSTMARYS, Democratic Women of St. Mary’s plans to meet every month during this election year. Meeting date and location information will be emailed and posted on Facebook. Please check your spam/junk folder for [email protected].

Contact us via [email protected] if you are interested in more information or interested in joining the Democratic Women of St. Mary’s.

Delegate Brian Crosby

With just over a week of session remaining, things have been very busy, but I have been working hard to bring as much money and as many resources back to the district as possible.

My bill, HB0288, which removes sales tax on baby products, was signed into law yesterday. This is a win for all working families in Maryland!

The General Assembly and the Governor have come to a bipartisan spending agreement for this year’s budget that will include:

The General Assembly and the Governor have come to a bipartisan spending agreement for this year’s budget that will include:

===================================

Do you have an event or announcement you’d like to include in our newsletter? Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/1ksXZRuP2XNYWveLA

St. Mary's County Democrats
http://www.stmarysdemocrats.org/

Spring is slowly making itself known! Can you believe the high temperature for today is 80 degrees?!

We’ve been working hard keeping local democrats very busy, just like any other election year!

Due to legal challenges with the legislative and congressional redistricting maps, the candidate filing deadline has been delayed to March 22, 2022! We are still looking for people to run for office, so if you are interested please reach out!

If you aren’t ready to run for office, but still want to help, consider joining a candidate committee to help with a particular campaign! This is your chance to make a difference, so reach out to us at [email protected] for more information!

Happy February!

This month we’ll celebrate Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and everyone’s favorite holiday, “Filing Deadline Day” on February 22nd!

The deadline to file for public office is February 22nd. Consider making a difference in our community by running for one of the offices listed above! We’re also looking for Democrats who want to help build the local party by running for the Democratic Central Committee. 

We recently sent out a Call to Action to inspire the community to help us change the tide locally.

This is your chance to make a difference, so reach out to us at [email protected] for more information!

Read on for more updates!

Happy New Year!

St. Mary’s County Democrats wish you a safe and healthy new year, 2022!

As we move into the new year, St. Mary’s County is experiencing a significant spike in COVID cases. We urge everyone to take the proper precautions to prevent the spread of COVID, including getting vaccinated (and boosted!), wearing a mask, washing your hands, etc. It’s just as important as ever to remain vigilant and think of your neighbors–we’re all in this together. For more information about COVID testing and vaccination, please visit the St. Mary’s County Health Department’s website.

The St. Mary’s County Commissioners will host a public forum on Tuesday, January 11th at 6:30PM in the Commissioner’s meeting room in Leonardtown. We encourage everyone to participate in person, by calling in, or by sending an email to make your voices heard! Remember, the Commissioners only hold four public forums each year, so this is one of the few opportunities you have to speak to them, publicly and in person.

Fellow Democrats,

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, and enjoy December’s holidays with family and friends as well!

We’ve been closely following the local redistricting process. The last meeting of the Redistricting Board is tomorrow, December 7th at 5:30PM in the Commissioner’s Meeting Room in Leonardtown. ICYMI, the Board’s meeting last Tuesday, November 30th, was alarming. Read our statement here, and watch the meeting for yourself here. 

The Redistricting Board's meeting is open to members of the public who can attend and observe the proceedings. If you're available, plan to attend the meeting to show your support for comments made by the public urging a fairer map that keeps communities together.

The above map, if finalized by the Redistricting Board at their December 7th meeting will be presented to the Commissioners on December 14th. The Commissioners do not approve or deny the map, but it becomes official 60 days after it is presented to the Commissioners. Now is the time to offer any final thoughts, comments, or opinions on the local redistricting process. You can email [email protected] if you wish to offer your input.

Read on for more local developments involving St. Mary’s County Democrats!

Happy Halloween!

We hope you enjoyed this weekend’s various festivities throughout the county, and got some good candy loot as a result!

November is shaping up to be a busy month. The Redistricting Board has decided on which map to bring forward for public comment. There are five different opportunities for you to give your feedback, at locations throughout the county. You can view the full list here .

We strongly encourage you to show up to one of these meetings and offer your comments about this map. At a minimum, the Redistricting Board should consider keeping communities together--something they have not accomplished with this map. In fact, two members of the Redistricting Board voted against this map for those very reasons. Use our sign up sheet to let us know you’re coming! 

Read on for more local developments involving St. Mary’s County Democrats!

Happy Fall!

The leaves will soon be changing colors, Halloween is right around the corner, and we can feel the temperature changing!

Locally, COVID-19 community spread is categorized as High by the CDC. We encourage all residents of St. Mary’s County to wear masks, wash their hands, and socially distance when possible. You can view the latest data on the Health Department’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard (https://smchd.org/covid-19-data/). One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 is getting vaccinated. Find out more about local vaccination opportunities from the Health Department (https://smchd.org/covid-19-vaccine/). It’s up to all of us, working together, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Read on for more local developments involving St. Mary’s County Democrats!

Fellow Democrats,

Kids are back in school, we’re in the last quarter of the year, and fall is quickly approaching! We’re thankful for the responsible, science-based decisions made by St. Mary’s County Public Schools, in cooperation with the St. Mary’s County Health Department, which will allow our students and educators to return to school buildings safely. 

Locally, COVID-19 community spread is categorized as High by the CDC. We encourage all residents of St. Mary’s County to wear masks, wash their hands, and socially distance when possible. You can view the latest data on the Health Department’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 is get vaccinated. Find out more about local vaccination opportunities from the Health Department. It’s up to all of us, working together, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

In an exciting development, we are looking for founding members to start a St. Mary’s County chapter of Young Democrats of Maryland (YDM)! Are you interested in Democratic, liberal/progressive politics, local organizing and getting involved in the community? Then this opportunity is for YOU! Get ready to learn about and discuss local and state issues, grassroots organizing skills and work on initiatives to #changethetide in St. Mary’s County! To get involved, fill out the interest form. Do you know a young person who would want to be involved in St. Mary's County Young Democrats? Send them the interest form!

In Memory Of: 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza

Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss

Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui

Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page

Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario

Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz

Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak

St. Mary's County Democrats mourn the loss of the 13 service members killed in the terrorist attack at Kabul airport on August 26, 2021.

Fellow Democrats,

We hope you’re enjoying the summer! Democrats have been working hard at every level to deliver results for St. Mary’s County! Congressman Steny Hoyer recently announced the passage of HR 4502 which, when signed into law, will bring over $4.5 million to fund priorities in our county. Hoyer, along with Senators Cardin and Van Hollen sent the American Rescue Plan to President Biden back in March, but we are still benefitting today! Funds from the ARP have been put to good use recently.  

St. Mary’s County Public Schools recently announced they will require mask usage again, after a recent rise in community transmission of COVID-19. The decision was made in cooperation with the St. Mary’s County Health Department and based on the latest CDC guidance. The Health Department shared information with a call for wearing masks when indoors and a reminder to social distance when possible. It is more important than ever to get vaccinated to protect yourself and the community from the spread of COVID-19. The Health Department provides free vaccinations with signup available online.

The St. Mary’s County Commissioners appointed members to the Redistricting Board last month. Responsible for determining the lines of the Commissioner districts, the Redistricting Board’s decisions will affect county elections for the next decade. Read our Press Release, then let the Commissioners know how you feel by emailing them at [email protected]. 

Happy 4th of July Democrats!

We’re celebrating the success of Democrats across the country delivering for the American people. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan put millions of dollars into pockets around the country, including over $22 million just in St. Mary’s County! 

President Biden has rerouted the economy and has Americans working together to Build Back Better. The latest jobs report shows the fruits of this labor, with 850,000 jobs being created! President Biden and Democrats have created over 3 million jobs so far, over three times the amount under the previous administration. Watch President Biden's remarks on the employment numbers.

And, news broke yesterday announcing a win for almost 180,000 Marylanders who were set to lose their unemployment benefits this weekend. A Baltimore judge issued a temporary restraining order to extend these benefits as further details of the case are examined. This is a needed review of Governor Hogan’s harmful decision to cancel benefits thousands of Marylanders are depending on just to make ends meet. Read more from The Baltimore Sun. 

With more and more Marylanders vaccinated (75% with at least one dose, 52% two doses), this year we can celebrate the 4th with a little more normalcy! This is thanks to the incredible roll out of President Biden’s vaccine initiatives, targeted towards equity in access to free vaccines in every city, town, and neighborhood. Locally, we’re just about 50% fully vaccinated. The St. Mary’s County Health Department has done a superb job making vaccines accessible across the county geographically and demographically. If you still need to be vaccinated, please visit the Health Department’s website for more information! 

There’s less than 360 days until next year’s primary election! The candidates for governor have been announcing their campaigns--more on that in our update from the Maryland Democratic Party (MDP) below!

In this edition of the Skipjack Current, you’ll also find updates from the Democratic Central Committee, Democratic Club,  and local political updates.