MI2CD Friends:
Plan now to join us for our January meeting via ZOOM on Saturday February 14, 2026, at 10am. We will be hearing from active candidates for MI2CD and other state-wide and regional offices!
Here is the ZOOM link for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82577407163?pwd=xetgNf9fyfgtcMW7bpAcaKA36JFWpi.1&jst=2
Meeting ID: 825 7740 7163
Passcode: 391222
Join the meeting for a presentation by DirtRoad Organizing!
Hailing from rural Maine, Chloe Maxmin is the Co-Founder of DirtRoad Organizing alongside her best friend, Canyon Woodward. She also runs Begin Again Farm with her partner, Bill Pluecker, growing organic vegetables for her community. Chloe received an honors
degree from Harvard College, where she co-founded Divest Harvard. Chloe served in the Maine House of Representatives in 2018 and the Maine State Senate in 2020. She was the youngest woman ever to serve in the Maine Senate. Chloe is also the Co-Founder/Advisor
at JustME for JustUS--a Maine-based organization focused on rural youth civic engagement and climate justice--and the co-author (with Canyon) of Dirt Road Revival.
Thanks to MI2CD’s new Vice Chairperson Hilary Wingard for arranging this speaker who provides us with the best practices we need to form a winning grassroots campaign to defeat the out-of-touch incumbent in November!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
The MI2CD has a unique way to add to our funding to help our MI2CD candidate as well as those running for down ballot offices and to also help our county parties pay the rent or put up billboards. We host “Texas Holdem” card games a couple of times per year. We
typically can clear about $1000 per day of these games! We need volunteers to help the card players convert chips to cash to tip the dealer. Volunteers work a six-hour shift and do not touch the cards or participate in the games.
County parties that provide volunteers for these fundraising dates will receive priority when requesting funds from the MI2CD treasury.
Our next series will be held at the Fremont Lanes 5885 S. Warner Ave in Fremont, MI Thursday Feb 19 through Sunday February 22, 2026. Let Dallas Dean
dall...@yahoo.comknow if you can help!
MAGA MOOLENAAR UPDATE:
Well, he officially warned the MI2CD voters that he intends to screw us over for another two years in Washington as an eager acolyte for the MAGA Cult. Here is my statement to WCMU radio on this announcement:
John Helge is chair of Michigan's 2nd Congressional District Democratic Party. He told WCMU the party has a grassroots movement ready to win.
“I believe John Moolenaar is more vulnerable than he's ever been because of his support for the chaos, corruption and cruelty that's going on in Washington right now,” he said.
Helge touted the campaigns of physician assistant Jamie Hill and U.S. Marine Ben Ambrose. “They're working very hard to earn the trust and the support of the voters in the 2nd Congressional District,” Helge said.
HERE ARE THE CANDIDATES PROVIDING THE ALTERNATIVE!
We need someone willing to communicate, collaborate, and compromise instead of refusing to do the job we elected them to do! Every resident of the 2nd CD deserves better representation in Washington! These three are working hard to earn your trust
and support! Tell your friends to be looking for them when they are in your area.
Benjamin Ambrose: phone: 231.740.1223 email:
bambr...@gmail.com Website:
www.ambrose4congress.com
Jamie Hill: email: jami...@gmail.com Website:
https://electjamie.net
We’ve completed over 8 months as the first candidate for CD2, and it has been an energizing, galvanizing and humbling whirlwind. Our vehicle has racked up 28k miles taking us to the far corners of the district and everything in between. We’ve attended over
60 individual face-to-face events since last June and taken every listening opportunity seriously and refined our message based on the leading concerns we have heard. We also have multiple exciting endorsements in the works.
What we hear is so encouraging. We strongly believe that speaking directly with people has been much more critical to speaking with donors. The consultants say to stop reaching out to voters and connect with donors, but we believe that grassroots change comes
from real local people and isn’t bought with out-of-state donors. That’s why as people have got to know what Jamie stands for and who Jamie is, they share and spread that excitement. We’ve had multiple people reach out, volunteer their assistance in many ways,
and ask how they can help the campaign aside from voting.
All of the time and work Jamie has poured into not only meeting face-to-face, but presenting opportunities for feedback and conversation on social media (they’ve personally made over 30 TikTok’s that have cross-posted to FB, IG and BlueSky and the FB page has
had 42.5k+ views of the 105 posts in the past 90 days) has resulted in the continued call for us to keep going, because folks want the type of authentic relatability and connection that Jamie brings.
We have multiple events scheduled over the next couple of months. Right now, as we take our traction we’ve maintained through the early winter into 2026, now is everyone’s opportunity to take part in the grassroots representation we all want rather than the
representation that is bought by far away donors and their special interests. What does that look like? It looks like ten bucks and two friends. To explain, if everyone who voted (D) in the 2024 race donated $10, we would have $1.3 million. Additionally, if
those people found 2 people who either a) didn’t vote, or b) didn’t vote democrat, to show up and vote, we would win by a landslide.
And you don’t have to be on our campaign team to tell your friends about Jamie and tell them about “Ten Bucks and Two Friends”. We can all help get the word out organically and be an agent of change. Other things that voters are helping with are connecting
us with the civic organizations they are involved in so we can show up and give them the opportunity to talk with Jamie, organizing meet & greets, and hosting house parties. If anyone relates to a few people who would like the chance to get the last few signatures
to get Jamie’s name on the ballot, we are also setting them up with a circulator kit that has everything they need to gather some signatures so we can go ahead and file these. Buying signatures/paying circulators isn’t our style, so a handful of folks willing
to gather a few signatures would be very helpful.
Clyde Welford: email: clydewelford01@gmailcom Website:
Clyde
Welford
In my quest seeking the 2nd Congressional District Nomination, I have kept myself busy procuring signatures for my petition. The frigid weather has hampered some essential door knocking. However, I’m in the process of printing mailers and business
cards featuring a QR Code. When scanned the QR code will allow the scanner the ability to make contributions to my campaign. All contributions transfer directly to my ActBlue Account. If anyone is interested in helping me get on the ballot, I encourage them
to either sign my petition, volunteer to collect signatures on my behalf, or contribute. Time is a factor.
I was invited to attend the Kent County Democratic Party Meet and Greet for Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed. On November 12, 2025, Abdul and I were introduced. We talked briefly before he took the mic. He engaged the audience of a couple hundred in attendance
for about twenty-five minutes, before leaving for another speaking engagement in Holland.
On December 6. 2025, the Mecosta County Democratic Party met in big Rapids. I introduced myself and spoke about some of the issues facing the residents of Northern Michigan. Coming up this month (February), February 19th to be exact, I plan to attend
Indivisible Central in Mt. Pleasant (Isabella County). The Lake County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to send me to the National Association of Counties (NaCo) in Washington DC. The conference will be held on February 21st and runs through
the 25th.
I hope to bring back a wealth of information and experience that can help us move forward. On 26 February, I have accepted an invitation to attend the Barry County Democratic Party Meeting. I’m looking forward to that meeting as well. There is a Community Forum
scheduled to meet in Manistee on the 28th. I plan to be there too.
What is paramount and on the minds of Northern Michigan Counties is the affordability crisis and the anemic response of lawmakers in Washington. John Moolenaar. He has failed all of us. He failed us when he voted against certifying the 2020 election. Moolenaar
failed us most recently when he voted to take away our health insurance while supporting a $170 billion dollar Immigration Custom Enforcement Legislation.
We needed Moolenaar to stand up and fight for SNAP and Nutrition Supplemental benefits. Northwestern Michigan as well needed him to fight for the glory of our communities, (our seniors and children). Moolenaar wouldn’t even attend a single town hall meeting
once Donald Trump ordered the GOP to stand down! Moolenaar consciously made the decision to forget about the people he swore an oath to serve and protect. Let’s not forget his stance on a woman’s right to choose, livable wages, human rights and Democracy itself.
My friends, we have our work cut out for us. I’m all in. What do you say?
 
 
FOCUSED ISSUE FORUMS!
We will continue to challenge all twenty county Democratic party organizations to plan and execute at least one “FOCUSED ISSUE FORUM” meeting every 90 days between now and November of 2026.
The MI2CD candidates all indicated that they believe these “kitchen table issue” forums will have a better chance of attracting the independent and Democrat-curious voters that we will need to win in 2026.
Here are some forums that are already on the calendar!
 
Long-time MI2CD leader Michael Fields sent me what you see below. He hits the nail right on the head!
Become a Democrat with Me
I was engaged in conversation with a friend of mine who believes in this country. He believes in its ideals. He considers himself to be a patriot. He also believes that all politicians are corrupt. That they have an angle they are working and none of them,
during his lifetime, have ever been looking out for him or others he knows like himself. That is a growing and worrisome sentiment in this country. He asked me why I am a democrat.
I have been giving this some thought for the past few days and here is my answer. He may be right that no politician is looking out for him. There may not be any politicians that are willing to stand behind their convictions when the pressure gets too much.
If that is the case whose job is it to fix the status quo?
Whose job? It is the job of every citizen in this country to make certain that we are actively getting down in the dirt. That we are ready to get muddy to make sure that we have the representatives we deserve. For far too long Americans have been willing to
let politicians run our country without speaking up when their actions do not reflect what is good for them or others like them. Too many let someone else elect our representatives. Many feel that they want to be left alone, “Let me and my family just live
our lives, I mean is that too much to ask?” I have heard them say.
Yes, it is too much to ask because it is too much to give away. This country was founded on the idea that the common citizens have the right to determine their own form of government. They have the right to be governed by a collective body of citizens of
their choosing. The right to have a just government that works for them, not corporations and the 1% of the wealthiest citizens. We have a duty to make our government work for us.
No one man in this country has the right to say, “I alone can fix all our problems.” That statement is inherently unamerican. We do not have Kings. When politicians and our government officials do not live up to our expectations it is the duty of those that
are dissatisfied to peacefully express their displeasure, make their voice heard, and work for the change they seek.
With that said, why am I a democrat? Democrats are the party with whom I have the most in common. Now more than ever, in my lifetime, we must become engaged citizens, speak our minds and fight peacefully for a better tomorrow for everyone. Just as the founding
fathers intended for us to do. Become a Democrat with me.
Thanks for reading this monthly newsletter. Please share it with your social media network, your family, friends, and neighbors. They all deserve to know that we are working hard to provide them with a better choice when they vote in November!
John Helge
MI2CD Chairperson johnm...@gmail.com
AGENDA FOR MDP 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT COMMITTEE
MONTHLY ZOOM MEETING
Saturday February 14, 2026, 10:00am
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82577407163?pwd=xetgNf9fyfgtcMW7bpAcaKA36JFWpi.1&jst=2
Meeting ID: 825 7740 7163
Passcode: 391222
Pledge to the Flag
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement:
“The State of Michigan occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinabek – Three Fires Confederacy, the Odawa (Ottawa), Ojibwe (Chippewa), and Bodewadmi (Potawatomi). The Michigan Democratic Party recognizes historic Indigenous
communities in Michigan and those forcibly removed from their homelands. We further recognize the ongoing relationship of dependence upon, and respect for, all living beings of earth, sky, and water. In offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm Indigenous
sovereignty, history, and experiences.”
Speaker and/or Program:
-
Updates from candidates running to defeat Moolenaar in 2026
-
Update from candidates running for statewide offices.
-
Update from candidates running for Michigan House and Senate
-
Presentation by DirtRoad Organizing
Roll call of officers:
(Peggy) Roll Call of District Committee Members:
(Peggy) Roll call of Counties:
Determination of quorum:
Approval of agenda:
Approval of minutes:
Officer’s reports:
Chairperson John Helge
Vice Chairperson Haley Wingard
Treasurer Dallas Dean
Secretary Peggy Raddatz
Committee Reports:
● Rules and Bylaws Committee:
1). Dallas Dean (Chair)
2). John Helge - Manistee County D.P.
● Finance and Fundraising Committee:
1). Dallas Dean (Chair)
2). Ken Mahoney - Muskegon C.D.P.
3). Jessica Iliff – Osceola C.D.P
4). Betsy-Anne Moskowitz –
5). K.P. Mahoney – Muskegon C.D.P.
● Candidate Recruitment and Support (for candidate) Committee:
1). Mark Yonkman (Chair) – Wexford County
2). David Austin – Gratiot County
3). Deborah Van Dyke – Kent County
4). Ed Miller – Mason County
● Political and 2nd CD Party Organizing Committee:
1). Cathy Willermet (Chair)
2). Karen Turnbull - Mecosta County
● Communications Committee:
1). Michelle VanSlambrouck (Chair)
2). Karen Greenbay – Mecosta County
3.) Deborah Van Dyke- Kent County
4). Brad Wade – Lake County
● Policy and Resolution Committee:
1). John Helge (Chair)
2). Michael Lynch - Gratiot C.D.P.
● Audit Committee:
1). Robin (Alexson) Aslakson (Chair)
2).
Unfinished Business:
Election of new Vice Chairperson of the MI2CD
New Business:
County Reports:
Good and Welfare:
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