Tomorrow, April 19th, Democrats across the state are going to be meeting to elect delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Those delegates, elected by congressional district, may or may not be seated in Denver, because Michigan broke the rules. But that's an entirely different issue.

So why am I writing about it here? Is it because Fitzy is a candidate for Uncommitted delegate and is trolling for votes? Well, yes and no. I am a candidate for one of the Uncommitted delegate spots, but the change in date to April 19th has made it impossible for me to attend the district convention (originally, it was scheduled for March 29). So I've given up on actually getting elected. (Mind you, if I were elected, I'd be thrilled to go to Denver.)

But there's something much more important than electing delegates to the DNC. This is going to be a gathering of some of the most dedicated Democratic activists in the district. What better time to talk about ways to defeat Tim Walberg? This is a phenomenal opportunity to collaborate and discuss and plan. And, sadly, I'm going to be missing it.

But I'd love to hear some first-hand accounts. If you're going, take advantage of it! Connect with Democratic leaders and build a winning campaign! And, please, report back to me. I want to hear about it. I really, really wish I could be there.

Sound like something worth doing? If you're a registered Democrat and eligible to participate in the 7th District convention (see the Delegate Selection Plan), consider attending tomorrow at:

UAW Region 1-C Hall
1002 E. South Street
Jackson, MI

Go, support the party, and help build the effort to vote Tim Walberg out of office.



...

Oh, and that other thing, about electing delegates to the Democratic National Convention? Sure, that's important too. The 7th District gets five delegates, three of whom will be for Senator Hillary Clinton and two for Uncommitted.

Below is the list of Uncommitted delegate candidates for the 7th District, via Michigan Liberal. I am somewhere on that list, though I'm not wild about broadcasting my actual name for all to see. If you're interested in voting for me at the district convention, contact me personally if you really want to know my name. If you figure it out (not really that hard to do) or guess correctly and leave it in the comments, however, I'm afraid I'll have to delete that comment. Like I said, I don't want my name out there for everyone to see. There are lots of people on the internet, and not all are friendly.

ABBEY, BRENDA 07 F
BASIR, AMINAH 07 F
BOBILLO, MARTA 07 F
BOLGOS, MARJORIE 07 F
BREHLER, JOSEPH 07 M
BRENNAN, FRANCES 07 F
COOPER, CYRUS 07 M
DE CONINCK, BRIAN 07 M
DEVINE, JACK 07 M
DILSAVER, DOROTHY 07 F
EAGLE, MARK 07 M
HARRINGTON, REBA 07 F
KENNEDY- WINDSOR, JEAN 07 F
LASKOWSKY, AMBER 07 F
LUKELA, JENNIFER 07 F
MC NAMARA, ALYSSA 07 F
MUSKO, ELSA 07 F
SIBLEY, FRANCES 07 F
SMIGIELSKI, LEONARD 07 M
STRACK, FREDRICK 07 M
TENNIS, JACQUELYN 07 F
WALTER, SANDRA 07 F

A few interesting names I noticed on first glance. Fred Strack was the second-place finisher in the 2006 Democratic primary for the 7th District. Frances Sibley is the head of the Lenawee County Democratic Party, and Leonard Smigielski is the head of the Jackson County Democratic Party and is the 7th District chair. I recognize a couple of other names, too, but can't quite place them right now.

Also via Michigan Liberal, here's the Clinton delegate candidate list for the 7th District:

ANDERSON, THOMAS                07 M
ATHANS, THOMAS                  07 M
BOWMAN, JOAN                    07 F
BROWN, R. KENT                  07 M
BYRD, JONATHAN                  07 M
BYRNES, PAMELA                  07 F
CAUGHEY, ERICAH                 07 F
DILLINGER, ZACHARY              07 M
DIPONIO, ROSEMARY               07 F
FELD, EDWARD                    07 M
FIX, RAYMOND                    07 M
FREEMAN, GLENN                  07 M
GRANNING, NEIL                  07 M
HARRIS, ROGER                   07 M
INGELS, MICHAEL                 07 M
MUNN, MARTIN                    07 M
NACHT, DAVID                    07 M
PATRICK, KEVIN                  07 M
RATTI, JOSEPH                   07 M
SANDERS, ROSETTA                07 F
SHAVER, ANDREW                  07 M
TENNIS, DARRELL                 07 M
TIMEUS-MC ELROY, MELANIE         7 F
TODD, CHARLES                   07 M
WHITLEY, MICHAEL                07 M
WIMPLE, RONALD                  07 M

From the Michigan Liberal diary, some of these names have been rejected by the Clinton campaign, but it's unclear which. Either way, a few names jump out again. Pam Byrnes is a state representative, David Nacht is a former congressional candidate, and Rosemary DiPonio is the head of the Eaton County Democrats.

Regardless of your presidential candidate preference, if you're planning on attending tomorrow, I'd encourage you to help lay the foundation for our campaign against Tim Walberg.