Cinnaminson Democratic Party Grows; Summer Social Sunday

CINNAMINSON, NJ — There are more registered Democrats in Cinnaminson than one might think, and many of them will be getting together this Sunday. The Cinnaminson Democrats will host a Summer Social on Sunday, July 8, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Whistler’s Inn, 901 Route 130. Food will be provided and there will be a cash bar.

State Sen. Troy Singleton (D-7), Assemblywoman Carol Murphy (D-7), Congressional candidate Andy Kim, Burlington County Freeholders Tom Pullion and Balvir Singh, as well as county candidates George Youngkin, Felicia Hopson and Joanne Schwartz will all be in attendance.

The gathering is part of the resurgence of the Cinnaminson Democratic Party, which has not had any candidates on the ballot for township committee since 2011. This was surprising to Andrea Barton Gurney, who said she was unhappy following the results of the 2016 presidential election.

“I finally understood that it was my responsibility to do something in the town I live in,” said Gurney, who noted that Democrats haven’t been fulfilling their civic duty to give the township’s voters a choice.

This lack of choice was glaring after last year’s contentious Republican Primary in which Mayor Anthony Minniti surprisingly failed to win his party’s nomination. Over the course of the next several months, Republican in-fighting took center stage in Cinnaminson, but there were no Democrats to jump on the opportunity.

“When there’s one party rule, that party will inevitably start fighting among themselves,” Gurney said. “We might not have even had all that craziness last year if the people had another choice.”

The challenge to get Democrats involved in Cinnaminson politics might not be as tall as it seems. Despite the fact that all five members of township committee are Republicans and there are once again no Democrats running in the Nov. 6 general elections, the difference between registered Democrats and registered Republicans in the township is only a little more than 1,000.

There are 3,866 registered Democrats in Cinnaminson, compared to 4,951 registered Republicans, according to the township clerk’s office. The highest count is among independents, as there are 5,735 unaffiliated voters.
So Gurney got in touch with the local Democratic Party and together, they began working on bringing the blue donkey out in Cinnaminson voters.

“We have a local Democratic Party and they were doing what they could, but the reason the party wasn’t more active is because there weren’t enough local people willing to do the work,” Gurney said. “I’m a Democrat. I live in Cinnaminson and I wasn’t doing anything.”

She said when she approached the party, they were glad to have the help. They began knocking on doors of registered Democrats and the reaction was always the same: surprise at the number of voters who have a “D” next to their name.

There are now about 40 members of the party, including 20-25 who regularly attend meetings. Gurney is now the party chair. They are currently looking to build up the party before they can begin putting forth candidates. That’s part of what Sunday’s event and other party events over the last two years have been all about. The movement is growing.

“There’s a certain level of excitement now,” Gurney said. “People are so excited to hear about it.”

The attached flyer was provided