Democrats' leader hammers both parties
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
Published: 3/1/2009  2:33 AM
Last Modified: 3/1/2009  3:36 AM
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090301_16_A17_StateD346449
or
http://tinyurl.com/Holmes20090301

State Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes has a Ph.D. in communications and he's not afraid to use it. Friday he hammered the Republican Legislature and tight-fisted Democrats about the head and shoulders for an hour at the Democratic Luncheon Club in downtown Tulsa.

"There is no democracy going on at the Capitol in Oklahoma City," Holmes said. "Our House and Senate people are getting so beaten down, the Republicans are almost dictatorial. They're blatant about it and they don't care."

The GOP, he said, is "ruthless, organized and they've got money."

But Holmes was also critical of fellow Democrats.

He said that two years ago, when he became chairman, only 17 individuals gave as much as $1,000 a year to the party. That's up to 150 now, but isn't nearly enough to compete with the Republicans or to compensate for the money the state received from the national party under former national chairman Howard Dean.

"Our party has no money," he said, noting that the Democratic Senate caucus' political action committee ended the last election cycle $25,000 in debt and the House PAC is almost broke, too.

And, he said, the trial lawyers say they'll no longer contribute to the legislative PACs because of last year's poor election results.

"We have to raise $750,000 by 2010 to be viable," Holmes said. "You can't run a party like we have."

Holmes said President Obama's organization appears to be concentrating national party resources on "target states" -
which Oklahoma, after giving Obama only 34 percent of the vote, is not.

"What we've got to do is convince the Obama people we ought to be targeted," Holmes said

Holmes is not seeking a second two-year term but said he will continue to work for the state party as a volunteer.

Democrats pick up a House seat in central Ohio
By STEPHEN MAJORS, Associated Press Writer
[Sun Dec 7, 2008 8:57 pm EST]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_el_ho/ohio_house_race

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy came from behind Sunday to snatch a central Ohio seat from House Republicans after elections officials tallied provisional ballots.

Kilroy's victory by a little more than 2,000 votes over Republican Steve Stivers put the 15th Congressional District seat into Democratic hands for the first time in 42 years after the retirement of Republican Deborah Pryce.

Franklin County officials released unofficial results Sunday that showed Kilroy with a margin of victory of 2,311 votes out of roughly 300,000 cast, enough to avoid an automatic recount.

Kilroy got 139,582 votes to Stivers' 137,271, or 46 percent to 45 percent. Two minor candidates split the remaining 9 percent. ...

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