Calling all friends in the North Country! Bernie Sanders may have suspended his campaign, but we built a beautiful movement of Americans who are continuing to fight for a country and economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%. If you are a member of the Michigan Democratic Party, you have an opportunity to vote for Delegates to the National Convention, who will represent the movement that formed with Bernie Sanders. Please vote, and make sure our priorities have a strong voice in the Democratic Party!
Here are two candidates for Delegate — Owen Goslin and Odessa Weidner — who were brought into political activism by Bernie Sanders, and are ready to do the work in the next phase. They are running to be your Bernie Delegates representing Michigan’s 1st Congressional District. Please consider supporting us with your vote!
Owen Goslin
I am running to ensure that Bernie’s platform continues to shape the direction of the Democratic party through the general election and beyond. As a Bernie Victory Captain I organized 15 events at the Tip of the Mitt and worked with 28 volunteers, and I want to make sure that our work continues to have an impact. The current emergency is showing how much our country needs the policies we campaigned on, policies that we can no longer afford to ignore. In particular, Medicare for All would transform our region for the better — not just for the 44,000 people in our district who do not have health insurance, but also for those who pay outrageous premiums, and for others who are thinking of relocating to our region but are concerned about the lack of local jobs that provide health insurance. Our movement also took the lead in articulating a robust response to the Pandemic, with policies that rise to the level of the threat.
Here is more about myself: I was born and raised in Emmet and Cheboygan counties. Like many young people in our district, I left for college and did not expect to come back. I enjoyed a successful career in academia, teaching Classics at universities around the country, before choosing to return to Cheboygan in 2016 at age 41. Although I always voted and followed politics closely, I did not get actively involved in Democratic politics until Bernie’s 2016 run for president. He was the first candidate who spoke to my core beliefs as a democratic socialist, and demonstrated the widespread popularity of those beliefs. Since 2018 I have served as a Precinct Delegate in Cheboygan, and have worked to get Democrats elected up and down the ticket. I currently work as the communications director of the non-partisan advocacy group Center for Change, which is based in the 107th house district. The mission of our organization, which formed in 2019, is to inspire, educate and empower our neighbors in the UP and Northern Michigan for collective and progressive advocacy. I understand that change requires all of us to get involved, do the work, and to fight for someone we don’t even know – as Bernie challenged us to do. Let’s keep fighting for the future we deserve.
Odessa Weidner
It’s vital for progressives to have a seat at the table during the Democratic National Convention to shape the narrative and policy platforms within the Democratic party that will last beyond the election. This is why I’m running as your chosen Bernie delegate in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District to represent our shared values and fight for what matters to you, like Medicare for All, Green New Deal, Racial Justice, Women’s Rights, LGBTQ+ Equality, Getting Corporate Money Out of Politics, and Honoring Our Commitment to Veterans just to name a few.
I’ve been a long time Bernie supporter and volunteer since Bernie’s presidential campaign in 2016. For the first time in my life a candidate finally spoke to every single issue and value that I hold dear. Bernie checks off every box and has been consistent for over 40 years. I began my personal Bernie journey by canvassing for his campaign in 2016 and it was his policy platform that activated me to get involved in the political process. When Bernie announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election I signed up to be a Bernie Victory Captain, organized Bernie events, worked with friends and community leaders to create the “Feel The Bern! EUP Rally” in Sault Ste Marie, invited a Bernie national surrogate to the Upper Peninsula to speak at our local Chippewa County Dems meeting and Feel The Bern! EUP Rally along with many other powerful local leaders, passed out hundreds of free Bernie buttons (generously donated by the Bernie Ann Arbor group), and procured Bernie yard signs and literature for our local dems office. As your elected Bernie delegate I pledge to continue to uplift and amplify the issues and values that matter to you and are at the core of Bernie’s campaign; economic, racial, social and environmental justice for all! The movement continues.
Through personal experience and with a tenacious spirit I’ve been a fierce advocate for social equity for over 20 years. I currently work as a field organizer to empower our communities through building lasting relationships to break down barriers between us. Currently I’m also volunteering as a Board member for Center for Change: a Northern Michigan Advocacy Group to inspire, educate and empower our neighbors for collective and progressive advocacy. I strive to empower our communities through community outreach, grassroots organizing, and building genuine relationships. As a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians my family has deep rooted ties with the land and water in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
In the best of times our most vulnerable loved ones are at risk so what happens to them in the age of Covid-19 with our current healthcare and economic systems if they should contract the coronavirus? They are important, they are loved. Never before has Bernie’s platform and policies been more relevant than now in the age of Covid-19. This pandemic has brought to the forefront all the underlying systemic issues that Bernie’s campaign and policies address; the economic and racial disparities that exist for the majority of us. In the best of times most of us here in the 1st Congressional District struggle with access to quality and specialized medical services, mental health services, low wage seasonal work, lack of economic opportunities, lack of quality connectivity (internet and cell reception), revitalizing our rural communities, empowering tribal nations, shutting down Line 5, public education just to name a few, the list goes on and on… Now in these uncertain and unprecedented times, these struggles are bubbling over like never before and only Bernie’s policies have real equitable, long-lasting solutions. Remember this is not about me, it’s much larger than that, it’s about us. Not me. Us!
The Michigan Democratic Party provides more information about selecting Delegates for the convention here. Voting will take place May 7 – May 16. Anyone whose membership in the MDP was current as of April 16 is eligible to vote. A ballot will be sent to your email address starting May 7, and you will be able to choose between a Biden or a Sanders ballot.
The MDP provides this form, if you need to update your email address.
Micropolitan 
It is May 8th and I have not received my ballot. I have drifted away from the Dems because of my allegiance to Bernie and I suspect that I am not the only one. How can I receive your ballot?
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Hi Adel! Let me forward the email with the ballot to you. Voting is open to anyone who was a member of the MDP as of April 16. If you’re not sure if your membership is current, I would recommend contacting your county chair and secretary. They should know for sure. You are right, many Bernie supporters are not members of the state party!
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