Dear Friends,

We are writing today to invite you to become a member of the Frances Perkins Club of the Lincoln County Democrats. Please consider joining our effort to honor the continuing legacy of Frances Perkins:

Grounded by summers with her grandmother in Newcastle, Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor, was the lead advocate of the New Deal for Social Security, the 40-hour work week, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance, as well as for laws regulating child labor. Lincoln County Democrats share her values rooted in the needs of working people.

We take heart from the aspiration articulated so ably by Frances Perkins:

The people are what matter to government, and a government should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life.”

Not corporations. Not billionaires.

In this year of blatant voter suppression in states across the country, Perkins’ call has practical implications for LCDC: we are called upon to mobilize ourselves and our neighbors. Our ability to turn out the vote has defined the success of the past two election cycles. Because of the hard work of people like you we have attracted not only the full complement of registered Democrats in Lincoln County, but a significant portion of unenrolled voters, too.

Our Republican opponents will hammer home their misguided election tropes from now until November 8. In order for us to be successful in 2022, we must counter this dangerous strategy by getting out the vote via organized canvassing, letter and card writing, and sharing the positive outcomes of Democratic actions over the past four years with the broader public.

We are thrilled to welcome Howard Waxman, the Maine Democratic Party field organizer who led our campaign efforts in 2018, back to Lincoln County. Howard’s efforts four years ago helped swing Lincoln County to Gov. Janet Mills and to flip several of our House seats to Democrats. This year, LCDC has hired Howard to be our Campaign Manager, working alongside our Vice-Chair Kelli Whitlock Burton who will lead our campaign initiatives.

Our charge is to continue to advance the hard-won Democratic policies that lift up all Mainers. In order to achieve this, “We, the people” must work to maintain Democratic leadership in the Governor’s office and the Maine House and Senate, guarantee a Democratic majority on the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, and ensure that we re-elect our Democratic District Attorney and Sheriff, who will continue to mete out justice tempered with humanity.

Join us as we build a future bright with possibility:

• A future where the democratic process is protected and open for all people.
• A future where humanity and empathy have free reign, not hate; where communities thrive from more commitment to common good than personal gain; where each person’s individual rights are honored and observed as much as any other’s.
• A future that continues to deliver on the spirit of Frances Perkins to every citizen in Maine.

Our budget is lean, both because we know we can count on your help ‘in the trenches’ as we work to get the good word to all prospective voters and because, after more than 30 years of organizing, we run an efficient and effective campaign.

We are ready to take the first steps on the road to victory in November because people like you invested in the Frances Perkins Club last year. Membership in the Frances Perkins Club accounts for almost 40 percent of LCDC funding. Please consider joining fellow Democrats in support of this important initiative by downloading this form to print or send its equivalent with your check to make your generous contribution today. You may also donate securely online here. Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

/s/Geoffrey Bates
Fundraising Initiatives Leader

/s/Kelli Whitlock Burton
Campaign Initiatives Leader
Vice-Chair, LCDC

Frances Perkins Photo Courtesy of the Frances Perkins Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit, educational organization based in Newcastle, Maine. The Frances Perkins Center, founded in 2009, is not affiliated with the Frances Perkins Club of Lincoln County Democrats which was founded in 1996 as a way to recognize donors who make an investment in the Committee’s grassroots organizing efforts with an annual gift of $150 or more.