Democrats bring election education camp to the metro

The Hilton Omaha Hotel turned blue Saturday in a 2020 tune-up for Nebraska Democrats.

The National Democratic Training Committee choreographed the event – a daylong immersion in party politics with candidates, volunteers and local party leaders participating in classes geared toward next year’s elections.

Jo Giles, running for the District 7 Douglas County Board seat, said, “It's great that this training can come here, where we get national expertise that's free and we can just come and learn. And get ready for 2020."

Approximately 100 people attended Saturday’s training event.

The organization has been around since 2016 training Democrats on all levels of government how to run for public office. But it's not just for those wanting to run.

Assistant Director of Life Training, Jocelyn Hunt, said, “We have a group of candidates and potential candidates. A group of staff volunteer leaders and then our local party leaders."

The three groups were divided based on how they identified and then they participated in four different courses, “in fields, communication, digital and fundraising," Hunt said.

Those are important skills to Giles.

"Having a training like this, that can bring you together with other candidates that are feeling the same things that are new to this process, that are learning. It's game-changing for us. To actually have the tools to be able to run an effective campaign to get our message out and to hopefully earn some votes."

If you couldn't make it to the training but still want to learn what it's all about you can participate in online training at

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