June 2025 Newsletter

Message from the PCDCC Chair

A question many Democratic activists have been asking since November 2024 is “What is the purpose of the Democratic Party?” That is a totally fair question that probably has as many answers as there are Democrats. In my opinion, the main purpose of the Democratic Party is simple: Elect more Democrats.

Why should we elect more Democrats? That takes a little more explanation.

During the legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly overturned the will of the voters on two issues: Abortion Access and Earned Sick Leave/Minimum Wage. When I say the General Assembly, I actually mean the Republicans in the General Assembly. Not a single Democrat voted for either bill to overturn the will of the people, and the Democrats in the State Senate stood for HOURS before being forced by the Republican supermajority to sit down and shut up.

Imagine what might have happened if we had just a couple more Democrats in key seats. My guess is it would be less dramatic and more like government should be: boring.

Democrats are only two seats away from breaking the supermajority in the Senate, and three seats in the House. Democrats are eight seats away from gaining back the majority in the Senate, and 30 in the House. Keep in mind that Platte County sends one senator and three representatives to Jefferson City.

Let’s look a little closer to home in Platte County. By a vote of 3-0, the County Commission decided not to enact a voter-approved Children’s Services Fund, a vote that passed with 57% of Platte County voters. The County Commission has three Republicans and zero Democrats.

Imagine what having even just one Democrat to stand up to the rest of the Commission could look like. Now imagine having two Democrats who enact county-level policies that will help working families.

Those numbers sound far away, but we can do it if all of us rally behind the people who put their names on the ballot.

Don’t have a Democrat running in your area? Find someone, or even better, run yourself! I give you my word as chair of the Platte County Democrats that if you run, you will find support from the county party.

If you have questions about running for office or plan to run, please feel free to reach out to me or any other members of the Platte County Democrats. Members of our central committee have run for office, been campaign managers, and all of us have volunteered on numerous campaigns. We want to be a resource to you and try to answer questions and help guide you through the candidate process so you are not alone.

In solidarity,

Peter Coyne

Chair, Platte County Democratic Central Committee