Red Clay Training Draws Activists From Around State

Progressive Pol Training Draws Activists From Around State

Ga’s Red Clay Democrats host record-number in org history for groundbreaking political workshop

(ATLANTA, GA.) – March 9, 2011 – Last weekend, nearly 90 campaign activists from across the state gathered at Georgia State University for a nationally-recognized political training workshop.

The Red Clay Democrats organized Camp Wellstone in partnership with Wellstone Action, a nonpartisan training and leadership center named for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The three-day workshop combines lectures from experienced trainers with interactive campaign simulations. Camp Wellstone is divided into three tracks: An activist track geared toward those who are interested in community organizing; a campaigns track to teach operatives how to be more effective staff or volunteers; and a candidates track for people who have made the decision to run for public office.

Red Clay Democrats President Jeff Romig said he was excited that so many people had the opportunity to round out their political resumes, just as he did two years ago as a participant in Wellstone’s Advanced Campaign Management School. He was particularly impressed by the turnout in a non-election year.

“The training and advice I received helped prepare me to manage the only Georgia campaign to unseat an incumbent Republican,” said Romig, the lead organizer of the Atlanta workshop.

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Red Clay Democrats is Georgia’s leading organization for engaging young professionals in Democratic politics. The group endorses candidates through its political action committee and hosts monthly events around metro Atlanta.

Red Clay Democrats Chairman Howard Franklin said last weekend’s Camp Wellstone is one of many ways the organization is helping to build the state’s future political leadership.

“As one of Georgia’s most active democratic organizations, we are committed to investing in the state’s progressive infrastructure,” said Franklin, who currently serves as deputy communications director for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.

Franklin also organized Georgia’s first Camp Wellstone in 2005, targeted towards budding political operatives in the Atlanta University Center. State Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur and State Rep. Elena Parent, D-Chamblee, attended Sunday’s session to offer words of advice to participants in the Candidates track. In addition to leading several courses over the weekend, Franklin and Romig, respectively, managed the freshmen lawmakers’ 2010 campaigns.

“As one of the founders of Red Clay Democrats and a newly-elected state senator, I am proud of the progress we’ve made over the past decade,” said Carter.

Since Wellstone Action’s founding in 2003, the nonpartisan organization has trained more than 40,000 activists across the globe. ###

MORE INFORMATION
For more information about the Red Clay Democrats, visit www.redclaydems.org or contact Howard Franklin at 404-384-9490 or howard@iruncampaigns.com.