Pontotoc Democratic Party active in campaigns

Judd Morse Staff Writer

Ada May 07, 2008 05:50 pm

— While there’s never a dull moment, 2008 looks to be an especially active year for the Pontotoc County Democratic Party. The group is actively involved in a variety of projects leading up to the November elections, said Dr. Charles Peaden, the party’s chairperson.
“We’re currently getting ready to field some candidates for the House 25th district,” said Peaden. “In terms of candidates for the 25th race to challenge (State Representative) Todd Thomsen, we have a couple of excellent possibilities, and we’re in the process of choosing who that candidate will be. We think we’ll field a very strong candidate to challenge Thomsen in the upcoming race.”
Peaden said the party is also planning events during the summer as well. “We’re coming up with a couple of fundraising ideas for June and July,” he said. “One involves the Pontotoc county party and another is kind of a ‘Rock the Vote,’ voter-registration focusing on the younger voters. We’re trying to expand our base of younger voters.”
Peaden said the party will most likely decide on venues and other specifics within the next couple of weeks.
The Pontotoc County Democratic Party meets on the first Saturday of every month at 1:30 p.m. in the Ada Chamber of Commerce building. Visitors are always welcome, said Peaden. Those interested in joining the party can contact Peaden via e-mail (cpeaden@yahoo.com) or phone (580-399-3139), or attend a meeting.
While the majority of the party is made up of residents within the Ada area, Peaden said the party has also attracted members from other places in Pontotoc county, such as Roff and Allen.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that our whole purpose, or at least I see it this way, is to increase participation, increase political awareness, increase activity, and increase civic awareness of the political process,” said Peaden.
“That’s the reason. We want to win elections, but we also want to make people as informed as possible.” Peaden has served as the chair of the party for around a year now, reaching the halfway point of his two-year term.