Nearly 500 Dems Gather To Hear Castro, Others

Nearly 500 Democrats and supporters gathered in the first major fundraising event in West Michigan Saturday night to hear Julian Castro, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Castro is regularly mentioned as a likely vice presidential choice if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is selected by Democrats as the 2016 nominee.
Among the crowd were 47 people representing the LGBTQ and Ally Caucus of the Democratic Party. A turn out that earned chair Mark LaChey a shout out from Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon.
Also speaking was former state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer drew national headlines when she stood up against GOP efforts to allow religious based bullying in legislation to end bullying. She called the legislation "a license to bully," which resulted in national attention on the state Legislature's bill. Whitmer is rumored to be preparing a run for governor of Michigan.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters was also present and in a firebrand mood. He reminded the attendees that the 2016 presidential election was about much more than just who controls the White House. The Supreme Court, he reminded those attending, was in play. With several justices edging towards retirement, the next president could find themselves appointing two or three judges — and that could create an ideological shift in the make-up of the court. That shift could impact hard fought rights for the LGB community, such as marriage; abortion rights; civil rights for minorities; and the Affordable Care Act. Peters told attendees that the change on the court could have a long lasting impact on the direction and history of the country.