In the heart of a Republican Party stronghold, don’t expect to see a shortage of democrats turn out for the 2016 presidential election.
The Carter County Democratic Party office, located on 429 East Elk Ave. in downtown Elizabethton, hosted an open house to the public Saturday as time winds down for the November election.
Attendees were treated to refreshments, snacks and other goodies as local democrats rallied to show support from the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.
Pat Buck, President of the Carter County Democratic Women’s Club, shared excitement in Saturday’s event as the party comes together to help their nominees locally.
Even with the state going “red”, an uptick of Democratic Party voters have circulated over the years, Buck said, with the recent presidential election seeing 5,000 voters in Carter County cast their ballot for ballots for president Barack Obama.
“When everything started, I noticed a lot of Trumps signs in the area,” Buck said. “As the months went along, I noticed a lot of Trumps signs starting to go away. I think people are noticing the way things are and starting to put their support somewhere else … we feel confident in election with Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.”
November’s election is expected to come down to the wire with Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump and Clinton neck-and-neck in a variety of different polls.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports White House Watch national telephone and online survey, Trump holds a narrow one-percent lead, 40 to 39, over Clinton. Third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein held seven and three percent in the poll, respectively.
While the candidates are narrow with each other in percentage points, various online sites with electoral college predictions, including 270townin.com, have Clinton ahead of Trump by nearly 100 votes – 270townin.com’s poll has Clinton ahead 239 to Trump’s 153 with 146 electoral votes still up for grabs. It will take 270 votes to secure the presidency in November’s election.
“We’re very excited with how things are going,” Carter County Democratic Party Chairman Ramon Sanchez-Vinas said. “Just looking at the polls out and early projections of the electoral college, we really like how things are right now. We feel like we have two candidates that will do what is best for the country for the next four years.”
Following up July’s Democratic National Convention held in Philadelphia, Sanchez-Vinas noted that being a local democrat isn’t as rare as assume.
“First and foremost, it is no longer taboo to be called a democrat in Carter County,” he said. “We’ve seen tremendous support locally and had a great time communicating with the base (after Hillary’s nomination). We know that Trump will carry the state of Tennessee. But we’re going to do our part here in town and across the state. We’ll do our part, and we’ll let the rest of the country do their part to make sure Hillary and Tim Kaine get elected in November.”
The local Democratic Party office will is opened Tuesday through Saturday through the election cycle from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sanchez-Vinas added that the office currently has Clinton-Kaine signs available with an encouraged $5 donation. Along with signage, various button and other swags to support the party’s candidate is offered.
For more information on the local office, or to be part of the county’s Democratic Women’s Club, stop by the office during normal hours or call 423-518-1124.