Shaker Heights Fundraiser Saturday, August 13 @ 3:30 pm. Click the link to RSVP and receive event location.

Virtual Phone Bank Every Tuesday from 5:30 to 8 pm. Click the link to RSVP and receive the Zoom link.

Social Media Squad Volunteer Training Wednesday, August 17 from 6 to 7 pm or Thursday, August 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm (digital).

The post Volunteer for Nan Whaley for Ohio Governor appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

In – Person Phone Bank Wednesday, August 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Click the link to register and receive the event location

Postcard Party with NEO Young Black Dems and Cuyahoga Young Dems Friday, August 19 from 6 to 8 pm. Click the link to register and receive the event location

Virtual Phone Bank Every Wednesday beginning August 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Click the link to register and receive the Zoom link

The post Volunteer for Chris Ronayne for County Executive appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

If you’re not sure which district you live in after the unconstitutional new districts were mandated by the Federal Court please, click here.

For general information about voting in Cuyahoga County, please click here.

Below are the CCPC-endorsed candidates who are on the ballot August 2:

Ohio State Senate District 21: Kent Smith

Ohio State Senate District 23: Nickie Antonio

Ohio House District 13: Mike Skindell

Ohio House District 20: Mike Seals

CCPC does not do formal endorsements for State Central Committee races. However, we are recommending that you vote for Diane Morgan in the District 23 State Central Committee race.

The post Are You Ready for the August 2nd Primary? appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

The Cuyahoga County Progressive is proud to announce its endorsements for 2021 local elections in Cuyahoga County. CCPC is a bottom-up grassroots organization. All of CCPC’s endorsements are determined by a vote of our membership in the communities of candidates seeking our endorsement. The CCPC members who vote on each endorsement have full access to each candidate’s application and questionnaire to help make their decision before casting their vote.

Berea City Council: At-large – Mary K. Brown, Ward 4 – Erika Coble

Brook Park City Council at Large: Tom Dufour and Brian Poindexter

Cleveland Mayor: Justin Bibb; Cleveland City Council: Ward 3 – Ayat Amin; Ward 4 – Erick Walker; Ward 7 – Stephanie Howse; Ward 8 – Aisia Jones, Ward 11 – Michael Hardy, Ward 12 – Rebecca Maurer, Ward 13 – Kate Warren, Ward 15 – Jenny Spencer

Cleveland Heights: Mayor – Kahlil Seren, City Council at Large – Tony Cuda and Davida Russell

Cleveland Heights – University Heights School Board: Mario Clopton-Zymler

East Cleveland: Mayor – Juanita Gowdy, City Council at Large – Pat Blochowiak

Garfield Heights: Mayor – Dr. Tenisha Mack, City Council Ward 6 – Renae Bolton

Lakewood City Council at Large: Tristan Rader and Laura Rodriguez-Carbone

North Olmsted City Council Ward 2: Chris Glassburn

Parma City Council: Ward 1 – Monica Wilson, Ward 8 – Linda Kohar

Rocky River City Council at Large: Christina Morris

Shaker Heights City Council at Large: Tres Roeder and Anne Williams

University Heights Mayor: Michael Dylan Brennan

Contact person: Steve Holecko, CCPC Political Director, 440 220 1874

The post 2021 CCPC Endorsements appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

For everyone working for progressive transformation, in America, the Biden/Harris ticket is at minimum evidence of movement in that direction.

I’m old enough to remember when Joe Lieberman was the Democratic candidate for vice president, painful as that is to recall. If the running mates in between (John Edwards, Joe Biden and Tim Kaine) represented slight improvement, Kamala Harris represents very welcome further progress.

Besides more diverse representation, which matters, Harris co-sponsored the Sanders Medicare for All resolution; her record on climate action is excellent, and she was one of the most aggressive attorneys general in the country in holding big banks accountable for fraud after the last financial crisis. If anyone on Wall Street is supposedly celebrating the selection of Harris with relief, that seems mostly a sign that the range of what’s possible in a Democratic presidency has been shifted well to the left.

Both Harris and Joe Biden are making a pitch which is significantly progressive compared with just returning to the status quo. I take this seriously, given that Biden demonstrated many times during the primary that he’s entirely capable of scoffing at progressive idealism, when he feels like it. Whether he has been shaken by the rottenness of the system, exposed by the pandemic, or by something else I don’t know. But his move toward an agenda of change, since the primary, deserves consideration.

The selection of Harris as running mate doesn’t change that. Realistically, even a cynic ought to realize that both of them are plainly to the left of whoever will be the median vote in the U.S. Senate in 2021. (Senate primaries are mostly over, but if you want to help Ed Markey fend off a corporate challenger, by all means hurry to edmarkey.com today.)

In the big picture, America has incredible problems. Compared with what Democrats have offered up in response over the past few decades, Biden/Harris is appreciable progress toward solving some of them.

– Matt Kuhns, CCPC Member

The post Biden/Harris in Perspective appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

Thanks to all of the candidates who sought CCPC endorsement in running for local office in 2019, and congratulations to the endorsed candidates who won on Tuesday:

Brian Poindexter, Brook Park City Council
Lisa Schmuck, Brook Park City Council
Stephanie Walls, East Cleveland School Board
Michael Kilbane, Fairview Park City Council President
Meghan George, Mayor of Lakewood
Trevor Elkins, Mayor of Newburgh Heights
Dorene Kray, Newburgh Heights Council
Gigi Traore, Newburgh Heights Council
Linda Kohar, Parma City Council
Carmella Williams, Shaker Heights City Council
Marty Gelfand, South Euclid City Council

Also, Anton Krieger came within 2 votes of being the youngest elected official in North Royalton history, and his race is headed to an automatic recount.

The post Congratulations to CCPC-Endorsed Candidates! appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

CCPC is a bottom-up grassroots organization. All of CCPC’s endorsements are determined by a vote of our membership in the communities of candidates seeking our endorsement. The CCPC membership who vote on each endorsement have full access to each candidates application and questionnaire to help make their decision before casting their vote.

The CCPC endorsement process is quite different from the top down approach that the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party and other organizations use, where management and/or a committee partially or fully selected by management make the endorsement at the exclusion of rank and file input.

Endorsed Progressives for Nov. 5, 2019 election:

Berea: Mayor – Mary Brown, Ward 4 City Council – Erika Coble

Brook Park: President of City Council – Jim Astorino, At large City Council – Brian Poindexter, Lisa Schmuck

East Cleveland: School Board – Patricia Blochowiak, Stephanie Wall

Euclid: Mayor – Dr. Richard Montgomery

Fairview Park: President of City Council – Michael Kilbane

Garfield Heights: Ward 2 City Council – Tenisha Mack

Lakewood: Mayor – Meghan George, Ward 1 City Council – Laura Rodriguez – Carbone, Ward 2 City Council – Brad Presutto, Ward 3 City Council – Jeff Wise, School Board – Andy Meyer

Newburgh Heights: Mayor – Trevor Elkins, At large City Council – Dorene Kray, Gigi Traore

North Royalton: Ward 1 City Council – Anton Kreiger

Parma: Ward 8 City Council – Linda Kohar

Rocky River: At large City Council – Cassimir Svigelj

Shaker Heights: At Large City Council – Carmella Williams, School Board –  Ted Auch

South Euclid: At Large City Council – Marty Gelfand

Contact person: Steve Holecko, CCPC Political Director, 440 220 1874

The post CCPC 2019 Endorsements appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

Three years ago we began the Political Revolution in Northeast Ohio fighting to get Bernie Sanders elected to save our country from the Corporate Oligarchy that continues to destroy it.

Today we are bigger and stronger than ever as we continue the Political Revolution in Northeast Ohio. We know we are always heavy underdogs in any battle against the Corporate Oligarchy. Nevertheless in 2017 we came very close to stopping the $88 million Q Renovations corporate welfare scam. Plus, we have helped get 16 endorsed candidates elected and have over 3000 active members. As we get bigger and bigger our odds of victory get better and better.

In 2019 we will continue the Political Revolution by fighting wealth inequality and injustice wherever we can, by continuing to vigorously resist the draconian policies of the Trump administration and by getting more progressives elected to local office.

To those of you that are in the photo below thank you very much for still being with us! To those of you who have joined us since that day three years ago thank you very much for signing up to help change history!

1/9/2016 – The crowd grows to 200, spilling into the street, outside Sanders first Ohio office on its inaugural day.

Ohio’s Not Waiting for Bernie Sanders is a Daily Kos article describing the 2016 event.

By the way we still have the Northeast Ohio for Bernie banners seen in the photo just in case…  

Three Days From Today

Organizing for Bernie 2020

Saturday, January 12 from 4 to 6 pm @ CCPC Office 11910 Detroit Ave. Lakewood 44017

We are joining the national Organizing for Bernie movement with a mobilizing live stream — one of hundreds of similar events taking place across the country! This event will begin with introductions and a quick kickoff message, followed by the national live stream, and will wrap up with a strategy session and Q&A. If you want to be part of the Bernie 2020 movement, this is where it all begins.

CCPC and the 2020 Presidential Election

At this time CCPC does not intend to make a formal endorsement for the 2020 presidential election until later this year when all of the candidates have announced and some of the debates which begin in June have occurred.

As always the endorsement will be determined by a vote of our membership. Until that vote occurs our intent is to cover and promote the events of any serious progressive candidate that is thinking of or decides to enter the 2020 race.

Please DONATE today to help CCPC continue the Political Revolution in Northeast Ohio! Steve Holecko, CCPC Political Director 440-220-1874

The post 3 Years Ago Today, 3 Days from Today appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

Endorsed candidates who will continue toward the November election include Sherrod Brown (US Senate), Betsy Rader (US Congress 14th district); Nickie Antonio (Ohio Senate District 23); Kenny Yuko (Ohio Senate District 25); Kent Smith (Ohio House District 8); Mike Skindell (Ohio House District 13); and Cassimir Svigelj (Ohio House District 16).

A majority of the winning CCPC-endorsed candidates emerged from contested primaries. The primary for Ohio Senate District 23 drew substantial media attention, and looked to be a close race for much of Tuesday evening before Antonio pulled ahead with overwhelming support from Lakewood, her home and that of CCPC’s headquarters. Though a write-in opposition candidate will challenge Antonio in November, she is likely to become the first openly gay member of the Ohio Senate next year.

Current state Senator Mike Skindell, whose race was listed among Capitol Letter‘s “top Ohio legislative primary races to watch,” wrote on Wednesday morning “I also want to thank the… organizations who fight daily for working people and who supported our campaign,” including CCPC.

In addition to candidates seeking election in November, CCPC communicated to members in support of nearly 100 candidates for Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Central Committee. More than two-thirds of these candidates won, and will be sworn-in next month.

Finally, the redistricting reform Issue 1 succeeded, and earned more than 82% support in Cuyahoga County; CCPC both endorsed Issue 1 and actively supported the larger Fair Districts campaign.

The post Tuesday primary success for many CCPC-endorsed candidates appeared first on Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.