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  • AMANDA SHAVERS-DAVIS/THE CULLMAN TIMES Local Democratic Party chairman Ronald Dillashaw discusses the future of the party.

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November 25, 2011

Local Democrats plan rebound

By David Palmer The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — The 2010 elections left the Democratic Party widely depleted of officeholders, but a local party leader say not to count them out as  a new election season approaches.

The Republican Party sweep in 2010 drove many long-time incumbents from office locally and across the state. Nevertheless, at the local and state levels the Democratic Party is using the defeat as a time to rebuild its network and examine the potential of future candidates.

“Last election we were two years after the bailouts and everybody was mad. We needed over 60 percent of the split votes or independents to win any office. We just couldn’t overcome that,” said Ronald Dillashaw, chairman of the Cullman County Democratic Party.

Republican candidates came into last year’s election with a tightly unified party platform. Candidates reiterated the speaking points regularly throughout the campaign. whereas Democratic candidates, particularly at the local level, often step away from some points in their party such as abortion.

“A lot of Democrats at the local level don’t adopt the full party platform. With the presidential race coming up and the  feelings in the South, it will be a difficult time,” Dillashaw said. “But it’s to the point that we feel some that were voted in in the last election will not be back. We want to get people interested in the Democratic candidates  instead of just having the choice of another Republican.”

Dillashaw believes his party needs to get the message out that government is not the enemy of the people.

* Read more in the Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, print or e-edition of The Cullman Times.

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