The Bay County Young Dems will meet on Monday, May 31st at 6 P.M at G's pizza on Saginaw St. in downtown Bay City. After our meeting we will be having a pizza party and a cake for all of our graduates. This is also a way to thank all members for all their hard work over the year.

Also, thank you to everyone for your help with the voter reg drives. They are going well! If you have any questions or comments please contact BCYD Chair, Spencer Tobias.

BAY CITY — Area residents looking to learn more of the candidates running for judgeships in Bay County will have their chance Thursday.

From 7 to 9 p.m., the Bay County League of Democratic Women and Men will host a judicial candidate forum. The forum will be held in the community room of St. James Catholic Church, 710 Columbus in Bay City, and will feature all the candidates hoping to win a judgeship in the Nov. 2 general election.

Bay City attorneys Harry P. Gill and Darrin Nichols are running for Bay County circuit judge, with Judge William J. Caprathe set to retire later this year. Dawn A. Klida, who was appointed to replace former Bay County District Judge Craig D. Alston in January, is running unopposed to retain her seat.

Jennifer C. Barnes was appointed to replace Bay County District Judge Scott J. Newcombe, who is slated to retire on May 31. She is running against Bay City attorneys Eric W. Zimostrad, Abel B. Torres, Mark E. Janer and Stevens J. Jacobs.

The forum will allow the candidates to field questions from the public.

Credit: Bay City Times

State Representative Alma Wheeler Smith announced today that she was dropping out of the race for the democratic nomination for governor. In a statement she stated, "Democrats need to unify behind a candidate and I have come to believe that my continued candidacy would only serve to divide us further."

Her announcement leaves only two Democratic candidates left, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and House Speaker Andy Dillon.

Connie Saltonstall also announced today that she was ending her campaign for U.S. Representative in the first district. Mrs. Saltonstall was the first Democrat to get into the race to challenge U.S. Representative Bart Stupak, who has since announced his retirement.

Connie indicated her reason for dropping out was because she beleived that Michigan Democratic Party leadership would back State Representative Gary McDowell for the nomination. Currently, Gary McDowell has stated an interest in running, but has not officially announced his candidacy.

State Representative Andrew Gillard is the only other announced candidate.

Gubernatorial Race

State House Speaker Andy Dillon and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero has filed 30,000 petition signatures each to get on the Democratic gubernatorial ballot. Andy Dillon submitted his petitions on April 28th and Virg Bernero filed his earlier today. State Representative Alma Wheeler Smith has yet to file any petitions.

1st District Congressional Race

The race to replace Representative Bart Stupak is getting more crowded day by day. State Representative Joel Sheltrown announced in April that he planned on running, however he has since backed out. So far the list of Democratic candidates include Connie Saltonstall and State Representative Matt Gillard. State Representative Gary McDowell has said that he intends to run, however no formal announcement has been made. Contact information and web site links for these candidates can be found on our 2010 candidates page.

"As we continue to tackle our environmental challenges, it’s clear that change won’t come from Washington alone. It will come from Americans across the country who take steps in their own homes and their own communities to make that change happen."

-President Barack Obama

Going Green
This Earth Day, join Americans across the country who are helping to protect our air, water and planet for future generations by making just a few small changes in your day-to-day life.

Learn 

The Obama administration is committed to building a clean energy economy and keeping our air, water and planet clean for future generations. Learn more about what we’re doing to help protect our environment and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

As the debate begins to heat up between our three Democratic candidates for governor, we thought it would be fun to see who you plan on supporting in the primary.

Please be reminded that the results of this poll DO NOT constitute an endorsement from the Bay County Democratic Party it is also not meant to be an accurate representation of our party's view on the candidates.

Participants can only vote once.

The Michigan Democratic Party endorsed two candidates this weekend during the party's Endorsement Convention. Candidates were endorsed for the Secretary of State and Attorney General offices.

Both candidates were chosen on Saturday by more than 2,000 party members, who attended the convention at the Cobo Center in Detroit.

Wayne State University law professor, Jocelyn Benson, won the endorsement of the Democratic party by a 95% to 5% margin.

Benson was running against the current Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey.

In the race for Attorney General, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton beat Attorney Richard Bernstein by a very small margin, receiving 52% of the delegate vote compared to 47% that went for Bernstein.

The MDP endorsement doesn’t guarantee that Leyton or Benson will be the ultimate nominee. That decision will come in August when the party meets for the state convention to officially pick their nominees.

...thanks to Democrats and President Obama.

The Daily Kos has a great article about this and the misconceptions the Republicans are using to cover up the facts.

The Recovery Act, which passed a year ago, granted 98 percent of Americans with a tax cut. One third of the Recovery Act was made up of tax credits.

The credits included:

• An increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit
• An expansion of the Child Tax Credit
•  For those who work, the Making Work Pay tax credit offered $400 per individual and $800 per couple
• For those who lost their job, there was a 65 percent tax credit to help cover the cost of health care. The first $2,400 in unemployment benefits went tax-free
• Up to $2,500 under the American Opportunity Credit for students and parents paying for college tuition
• $8,000 for first-time home buyers
• A deduction of state and local taxes paid on a new car
•  Up to $1,500 for home improvements to increase energy efficiency

The following are reactions from state and local leaders on Bart Stupak's decision not to seek re-election.

"I was certainly surprised by the decision and I know it's been a challenging year for the congressman and he's been a mainstay in Michigan politics," Mayes said. "It's a tough time to be in government and this have been a tough year for Stupak ... Now it's time for him to begin a new chapter."

--- Jeff Mayes, 69th District Representative


“There comes a point in time when if you’re ready for a change, we have to respect that.”

--- Jim Barcia, 31st District State Senator


“He’s  great campaigner and a great congressman and I’m stunned by all this,” said Kildee, D-Flint. “He’s a tireless person and we’ll miss him very much and Michigan will miss him because he’s a powerful position in Congress for us.”

--- Dale Kildee, 5th District U.S. Representative


These Quotes are courtesy of the Bay City Times.

“Congressman Bart Stupak has done an outstanding job on behalf of the constituents of Michigan’s 1st Congressional District. He has long been a strong voice in Washington on issues such as the protection of the Great Lakes and economic development and has done an excellent job as Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations – working on behalf of consumers not only in Michigan but also throughout the country. We thank Congressman Stupak for his 18 years of service as the 1st District’s Congressman and we wish him well in his future endeavors. He will be sorely missed.”

--- Mark Brewer, Michigan Democratic Party Chair