St. Joseph County Democrats fundraise ahead of midterms

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — St. Joseph County Democrats are hoping to ride the “blue wave” to big results in November’s midterms.

Friday, the party hosted its annual fundraising gala at the Palais Royale.

The headliner of the evening was Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy.

The night was also a rally for the party, aimed at firing up its attendees to hit the polls.

“It doesn’t matter how much money gets spent of how much or how much outside money comes pouring in to any of these races, what really matters is the work that’s going in on the ground,” said Jason Critchlow, St. Joseph County Democratic Party chair.

On the frontlines of the Democrats’ fight to win big in November is South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

“I’ve been traveling trying to support like-minded candidates,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons you’re going to see some of the energy picking up, right here at the St. Joseph County Democrats headquarters. We have more volunteers and staff coming online to really help push this thing all the way through the finish line.”

His PAC, Hitting Home, is preparing to roll out support for a few candidates running in crucial races in the coming midterms.

“In the grand scheme of the PAC world, it’s going to be a relatively modest effort but it’s our way of being able to practice what I’ve been preaching in terms of the kind of candidates we need to support,” said Mayor Buttigieg.

The party locally is looking to keep that same energy with the Hoosier candidates running seats in the Capitol.