Clarke County Democrats Thursday Night in the Park

The Clarke County Democrats enjoyed perfect weather and a respectable turn out as they hosted Thursday Night in the Park on June 13.

Co-Chair for the event, Sarah Truitt, pulled double duty as emcee and performer as she kept the evening going and sang. The audience was treated to a mix of Folk/ Bluegrass/ Country music created by Ronnie and Mary Beth Truitt of the Missouri-based band Keota, along with Sarah Truitt and Bruce Harris.

The recipient of the Clarke County Democrats’ scholarship Alyssa Whitham from Murray, spoke about her work as a Page in the Iowa Legislature. Alyssa, who will attend Simpson College, said it was a privilege to serve and stressed the importance of understanding the political process. She intends to remain active in politics and encourages her peers to be involved.

Between music sets, presidential candidate representatives for Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Jay Inslee and Andrew Yang presented an overview of his or her candidate’s focus and gave contact information. These representatives come from all over the United States to help with campaigns and they eagerly mingled with the crowd.

Andrew Yang’s book, The War on Normal People, The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income is Our Future, was available free of charge. Yang is a successful entrepreneur who founded the non-profit Venture for America, which places top-placing college graduates in start-ups to generate job growth.

Another Democrat running for the U.S. Senate is Kimberly Graham, a lawyer from Des Moines. Graham said infrastructure is her main concern.

“But, it’s not just fixing bridges and roads, it includes supporting a living wage, universal child care, and restructuring the tax code,” said Graham.

A wealth tax on the richest people in the u.S. would go a long way in paying for her plans. Graham would vote to repeal the new income tax plan that gave relief to the top one percent.

State Representative candidate and Chariton native, Jesse Malone, also spoke about raising wages and having better support for the working class.

Throughout the evening attendees could ‘Cast their Cash’ for their favorite candidate the two candidate with the most votes were Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

Clarke county Democrats extend their thanks to Iron Horse Neighborhood Restaurant and Timber Ridge Country Market for providing meals.

To see more photos and video visit www.clarkecountyiowademocrats.com.