I'm angry.
Last week's leak of the U.S. Supreme Court's draft ruling on overturning Roe shows that the Republicans are thisclose to achieving their nightmare goal of depriving millions of people their Constitutional rights. As Cong. Sean Casten pointed out at a May 7 pro-choice rally in Lake Zurich, "women are going to die" because of Republicans' actions.
Good Protesters Show Up
You're angry, too. Thank you to the hardy protesters who turned out last Tuesday in Palatine at Volunteer Clock Tower Plaza, and at the rally in Lake Zurich. We need your anger to help bring real change at the polls.
Republicans think they are winning
But you know what? Illinois Republicans believe they are going to win and win big in November. Every Republican candidate for governor has pledged to repeal all of Illinois' abortion protections. Republican legislators like State Sen. Dan McConchie (26th) have already drafted bills repealing every abortion rights bill that has been signed in Illinois. (McConchie is now the State Senator for the western half of Palatine Township.) They're even going after contraception and in-vitro fertilization.
It's time to organize
For too long, our state rep has been an anti-abortion-in-all-situations, anti-LGBTQ, anti-public schools, pro-gun extremist. Under the new maps, in Palatine Township we have a chance this year to flip Illinois House and Senate districts. We have a chance to elect Maria Peterson to McConchie's Senate seat. That's Maria Peterson on the left, as we canvassed together last week. We need to re-elect State Sen. Ann Gillespie (27th) and State Rep. Mark Walker (53rd). We need to elect Mary Beth Canty as State Rep (54th) And we have two really good candidates vying for the 51st House seat: Chelsea Laliberte Barnes and Nabeela Syed.
But we can't do it without you.
Greater Palatine Area Democrats is holding a Volunteer Meeting on Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. at GPAD offices, 1310 W. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights. We will have opportunities to help our local Democratic candidates WIN this year, AND build a strong, long-term network to protect Democratic values here for years to come.
Sign up here.
Illinois is a beacon to the nation
Thanks to Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democrats in the State Legislature, here in Illinois, we are a beacon of blue for the Midwest. In Illinois, we trust women to make their own choices. We enshrined abortion rights into state law, passed the ERA, the $15 minimum wage. We expanded healthcare access for women and poor families. But all that can change.
