From the Mt. Vernon District Democratic Committee:
Mt Vernon Democrats will hold the first straw poll for the 8th Congressional District Democratic nomination and honor Rep. Jim Moran, who is retiring from that seat, at its 6th annual Mardi Gras celebration, 8–11 pm, Saturday, March 1 at Don Beyer Volvo, 7416 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.
The 11 candidates who have announced so far have been invited to speak for two minutes each. Anyone with a ticket can vote. Votes will be counted by a straw poll committee of Mount Vernon District Democratic Committee (MVDDC) members and the winner announced at the event. A press release will be issued to announce the winner.
MVDDC Mardi Gras straw polls correctly predicted the winners of Democratic primaries the last two years. The eleven primary candidates are: former Ambassador Don Beyer, Sen. Adam Ebbin, Del. Patrick Hope, Del. Alfonso Lopez, Del. Charniele Herring, Del. Mark Sickles, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, community organizer and former president of the Northern Virginia Urban League Lavern Chatham, activist Bruce Shuttleworth, talk show host Mark Levine, and Virginia Tech associate professor Derek Hyra. All have confirmed attendance except Shuttleworth, who had a previous commitment.
At the event MVDDC will honor Rep. Moran for his years of service in Congress with presentations and songs.
The Mardi Gras is the major annual fundraising event for the MVDDC. All funds are used to help elect Democrats. Last year we had 300 people at the Mardi Gras and expect more this year. Tickets are available at www.mvdemocrats.com. The press is invited to attend the event, but not to vote. Please let me know if you will attend and sign in at the registration table for free food and drink, but no ballot. Note that parking gets tight. If you can’t find a spot, try the Safeway shopping center lot directly across Rt. 1. Contact me if you want photos or candidate information. See www.mvdemocrats.com for photos of previous Mardi Gras events.
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