Dallas Co. Democrats not as dysfunctional

Published 11:41 pm Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Alabama’s Democratic Party was listed as one of the seven most dysfunctional political parties in the nation — in addition to parties like the Republican Party in Alaska and the Democratic Party in Georgia. Capitol Hill’s news source Roll Call put together the top seven most dysfunctional parties last week and called the unique position of

Alabama’s Democratic Party, “indicative of Democrats’ dire organizational situation throughout the Deep South.”

But while the Democratic Party throughout Alabama struggles for funding to pay its bills, Dallas County remains in a unique position as one of the last remaining Democratic strongholds in the state.

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“Yellowhammer State Democrats struggle to keep the lights on — literally,” the article by Roll Call said.

The article said following Mark Kennedy’s leave from his chair position over the party, he formed the Alabama Democratic Majority. Following this announcement the chairwoman for the committee announced the party was behind on its bills, facing eviction and more than $5000,000 in debt. They also announced they had their credit cards maxed out and were missing equipment from their headquarters.

But while the Alabama Democratic Party looks for ways to garner more support, the Dallas County Democratic Party chapter is in a different situation.

“Dallas County is in the unique position of being one of the last remaining Democratic strongholds in the state,” Lydia Chatmon, chairperson for the Dallas County Democratic Party said. Chatmon also ran the campaign for former Selma mayor James Perkins in 2012.

Chatmon added that, “While some may view the party as dysfunctional because we have a number of political action committees and caucuses associated, from my perspective we are actually positioned to do some remarkable work across Alabama.”

During the 2012 presidential election, an overwhelming number of Dallas County residents voted along Democratic Party lines. 69. 7 percent of Dallas County voters chose Barack Obama, while only 38.4 percent of all residents in Alabama voted for his re-election.

Chatmon said the local party is as well as the statewide organization is working towards a bottom line — getting candidates who are highly-qualified, passionate individuals supportive of the Party’s ideals.

“We want and expect Democratic leaders to be of service to our communities, working hard to provide meaningful opportunities for all Alabamians,” Chatmon said.