Franklin D. Roosevelt (Photo: Harris & Ewing, 1938)
-Submitted
Franklin D. Roosevelt flew from Albany, N.Y. to Chicago in 1932, breaking precedent by accepting his presidential nomination in person at the Democratic National Convention. In 1968, again in Chicago, Hubert Humphrey was nominated for president at a Democratic National Convention that was characterized variously as a "Festival of Life" and a "police riot." Now, in 2024, the Democratic convention returns to Chicago in August, 28 years after the last one was held there.
As the first step toward electing Tennessee's delegation to this year's national convention, the Cheatham County Democratic Party will hold its local convention to choose its 11 county "selectors" on Saturday, March 16, in the McCullough Community Room at 334 Frey Avenue (Sycamore Square) just north of downtown Ashland City. These selectors will move on to a Congressional District Convention on April 6, at which five delegates will be chosen to participate and vote in the national party convention on August 19-22.
Doors will open for the Cheatham County Convention at 11 a.m. on March 16, and registration will close at noon. A light lunch will be served, and candidates for county selector or national convention delegate can use the 11-to-noon hour to drum up support, or just mingle with their friends and neighbors.
In order to participate in the County Convention, attendees must be a registered voter in the county, must have voted in the March 5 presidential primary (early voting began February 14), and must sign a pledge of support for the Democratic Party and its ultimate presidential nominee.
Democrats aspiring to serve as delegates to the national convention, meanwhile, must file a formal Declaration of Candidacy by March 7 at http://www.tndp.org/delegationselection, that is, a week before the County Convention. They also must vote in the March 5 primary; attend the County Convention and seek election as a county selector (highly recommended); and attend and be elected as a national convention delegate at the Congressional District Convention. (County Convention participants who just want to be county selectors do not have to file a Declaration of Candidacy beforehand.)
"I urge all Cheatham County delegates to attend our upcoming convention and participate in the presidential nomination process at this first step and as far beyond as you can," said Cheatham County Democratic Chair Ken Rawn. "Whatever the ultimate outcome may turn out to be, something unexpected or highly important is likely to occur when Democrats get together--especially, it seems, in Chicago. And whatever happens, if you join us at our convention on March 16, you will know that you have played a part in one of the most important presidential elections in our country's history."
For questions about the nominating process, including other possible ways to become a national convention delegate, contact the Delegate Selection Plan manager at delegateselectionplan@tndp.org or call Maria Brewer at (615) 327-9779. In addition, the full selection plan can be viewed on the state party website at http://www.tndp.org/delegateselection.
For local information, contact Michael Lottman at lottmanhouse@aol.com or call (615) 714-2702.
Comments