Democrats on the Move hope to bring candidates, energy for 2020

The Union County Democrats are gearing up for election season, with plans for a Democrats on the Move event to be held Tuesday evening.

“We're wanting to tell people what we're about. There are some people, they don't really understand what the Democratic party is about, so we're hoping to be able to get that knowledge out there and let people know what we're about, and what we want to do for our community, as well as our state, and potentially our country,” said Wanda Young, chairperson of the Union County Democrats.

The event will be an opportunity for Union County residents to meet candidates for state and federal office, elected state representatives and senators, as well as other Democrats working to elect members of the party in 2020.

“We are making a move toward 2020 to get more Democrats in the state of Arkansas elected,” Young said. “People all around the state, in our community … and even around the nation are paying more attention to politics this day. They are starting to realize, I believe, that politics and the people they elect affects their daily lives on a real personal basis.”

Josh Mahoney, who is running against U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, next year, will be in attendance. Mahoney is an El Dorado native, having strong family and community ties in the region. Last year, he ran a campaign for the Arkansas House of Representatives third district against incumbent Rep. Steve Womack, R-Russellville; he lost with about a third of the vote.

“We have a personal interest in Josh,” Young said. “He is a progressive Democrat. I believe that Arkansas is not well represented in the Senate … and I believe that Josh would give Arkansans that personal representation. Josh grew up here, he went to school here.”

Also in attendance will be state Sen. Joyce Elliot, D-Little Rock, who previously taught in El Dorado; Susan Inman, a 2018 candidate for Arkansas Secretary of State; members of the Progressive Arkansas Women PAC, a political action committee that works to elect women in Arkansas; and El Dorado Mayor Veronica SmithCreer, who notably made history last year when she became the first AfricanAmerican and the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.

Additionally, several