Johnson County Democrats met at the Trails Regional Library in Warrensburg at 7:30 p.m. to elect delegates and alternates to the 4th Congressional District meeting (and Missouri Democratic Party Convention) in the next step of the national convention delegate selection process. Unlike the republican beauty contest primary in February and their subsequent public relations disaster (and in some cases amusing) caucuses, the Democratic Party primary on the same date was binding as to the distribution of delegates.
People interested in participating started showing up and signing in around 7:00 p.m. The doors were closed at 7:30 p.m. If an individual showed up after 7:30 p.m. they could observe, but not participate.
The Johnson County chair appointed a temporary caucus chair who the ran the election for the permanent caucus chair. Once that process was finished the caucus proceeded to make nominations for and elect delegates and alternates to the congressional district meeting in April. Each congressional district is allocated a certain number of national convention delegates and alternates to be elected at those meetings. Those same county delegates and alternates will also attend and vote at the Missouri Democratic Party Convention in June for at-large national delegates and alternates.
Brennan Wallace (center), age 17, was elected a delegate to the 4th Congressional District meeting (and the state Democratic Convention). Under party rules he can run as a delegate if he will be old enough to vote in the November General Election. He will be. Brennan is running to be a delegate to the national convention.
Gary Grigsby (left), a candidate in the 51st legislative District encompassing part of Johnson County,
was elected the caucus chair and ran the delegate and alternate elections.
Nancy Maxwell from Holden, Missouri, the Democratic Party candidate in the 54th Legislative District,
will be facing Denny Hoskins (r) in the November general election.
Courtney Cole, the Democratic Party candidate in the 121st Legislative District in 2010, on being elected a delegate to the 4th Congressional
District meeting, stated, “Hey, I finally won an election!” The entire caucus broke out in laughter.