The Maine Democratic Party will hold its biennial convention Friday, May 18 to Sunday, May 20. The Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) will send 93 delegates representing 17 towns to this year’s convention to be held at The Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston.

“For years I’ve heard about grassroots this and grassroots that,” said Geoff Bates of South Bristol, a first-time delegate to the State Democratic Convention. “It finally dawned on me that, well, I’m as grassroots as the next person. LCDC has been incredibly welcoming and I’m thrilled to be attending the convention and excited about the broad appeal of our candidates in the June primary and November election.”

This year’s convention theme “Victory Starts Here” is a rallying cry for Democrats to win up and down the ballot in November.

Delegates will have an opportunity to participate in a number of activist workshops on Friday, May 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn starting at 1 p.m. The workshops are open to the public and have these topics: AARP: Medicare and Social Security; Run Local: Campaign Training; Maine-Wabanaki-REACH; Grassroots Lobbying; Including New Mainers in the Political Process; and Ranked Choice Voting.

The main convention at The Colisee runs on Friday, May 18, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 19, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During this time, delegates and guests will meet and hear from candidates, vote on the Party platform and other State Committee business, and attend a County Caucus to elect members to the State Democratic Committee.

The keynote speaker, Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), will take the stage at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, May 19. The full schedule and details may be found here: https://www.mainedems.org/convention.

Delegate Barbara Burt of Boothbay Harbor, says, “It’s exciting to be at a gathering of people from all around the state whose goal is to work together for a better future. The energy and buzz is going to be amazing around this year’s open race for the next governor!”

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Lincoln County Democratic Committee (LCDC) is Wednesday, May 16, 6:30 p.m., at the Newcastle Fire Station, 86 River Road. FMI: http://lincolncountydemocrats.com or www.facebook.com/lincolncountydems/ or info@lincolncountydemocrats.com.