Cville Dems

The Charlottesville Democratic Committee

Lamont Bagby Wins as Interim DPVA Leader

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Lamont Bagby gives a speech at redwood lectern a Democratic Party of Virginia meeting to elect an interim leader. He stands next to an American flag in front of a crowd that came to elect the new leader and Bagby won the special election.As you read in our mid-February newsletter, Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) Chair Susan Swecker decided to step down after10 years in the post. Three people ran to complete her term: state Senator Lamont Bagby, 10th Congressional District Democratic Committee chair Zachary Pruckowski, and 1st Congressional District Democratic Committee member Josh Stanfield.

On March 22, the DPVA Central Committee elected Sen. Bagby. He’s committed to electing Democrats to every office in November — not only the statewide offices, but also to the House of Delegates and local government positions all across Virginia.

Greet Our New Co-Secretary

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Photo of Kushaan Soodan, wearing a blue collared shirt and a blue jacket, standing in a meadow with hills and forests in the background.Kushaan Soodan stepped up in our time of need to replace Will Evans as our new co-secretary. Kushaan is a second year UVA student, looking to major in Public Policy and Economics at UVA’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

He’s deeply interested in learning about youth engagement in politics and community organizing. Kushaan (very successfully!) served as a Cville Dems intern during the presidential election season, registering tons of UVA students on Grounds.

Kushaan is also involved with UVA’s International Relations Organization, where he helped staff and organize Model United Nations conferences for high school, university students, and the broader community.

Your Voices Are Heard!

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Protesters angry at Elon Musk and DOGE activity protest with posters at Stonefield Mall near the site of a potential Tesla Showroom.

Hundreds of people have been joining area protests (see above for one this Saturday!) organized or co-organized by Indivisible Charlottesville.

  • Hundreds gathered for a March 15 “Tesla Takedown” rally at Tesla’s planned store (expected to open sometime April-June) at Stonefield Mall on Route 29. The Mall’s owner/developer told The Daily Progress that there are no plans to back out of a lease put together three years ago and executed last fall. If you feel strongly, call the number in the photo below to ask Stonefield to consider not opening the showroom or shopping at Stonefield (as some protestors noted).
  • A “Stand Up for Science” rally took place March 7 at the Free Speech Wall. Scientists and medical professionals addressed rally-goers in response to the recent executive orders, funding freezes, and federal firings. Organizers said they want the Trump administration “to leave science to the experts.”
  • March 4 was a “Stand With Ukraine”rally at the Federal Building on Main Street.

The goal of rallies is to encourage people to “Raise their voices, vote when the next elections come, and stand up for democracy and the kind of world we want to live,” Dan Doernberg (Indivisible Charlottesville and Charlottesville Dem member) said in an NBC29 interview.

Think protests don’t make an impact? Check out this now-classic article on the power of nonviolent protest movements. (Note: 3.5% of the US adult population is about 9 million people).

A crowd turns out on the Downtown Mall waving cards and posters that detail the critical importance of science. hundreds rallied.  A protester holds a sign asking people to call the manager of Stonefield to prevent a new Tesla Showroom there. His poster says -Call Stonefield Management Charlottesville - Proudly against white Supremacists since 2017. There is an image of No Tesla.

About Our Absent VA-05 Representative John McGuire…

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Since he’s not coming to Charlottesville to hear from his constituents, Kristin Szakos is helping to organize trips his nearest office in Lynchburg so he does hear from us! Consider coming along some time; contact kszakos@gmail.com for information.

You can also write or call McGuire’s office to share your concerns:

April Recess Town Hall in Charlottesville!

McGuire’s feeble telephone town hall last month won’t do; he needs to face his constituents and answer their questions in person. Indivisible Charlottesville is organizing a town hall during his April recess (April 14-27). Stay tuned for time and place; we’ll have all the details in our weekly Call to Action email.

He’s been invited to attend, but if he doesn’t, Democrats and others will still hold the town hall to make our demands for “redress of grievances,” as the Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees.