Are you overwhelmed with the number of Democratic presidential hopefuls and don’t know how to narrow down your choices? Join Bookshop Santa Cruz’s Caucus to read and vote on books written by the Democratic presidential candidates. Pick up a “ballot” reading list, including books by candidates such as Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Marianne Williamson, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, Tim Ryan, John Delaney, John Hickenlooper, Andrew Yang and Mike Gravel. For each book read over the course of the summer, you will be entered to win prizes including a $150 Bookshop Santa Cruz gift card, a first edition copy of Rachel Maddow’s fall book Blowout, and one of Bookshop's originally produced Trump Countdown Clocks which counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until Trump leaves office. Ballots are due to Bookshop Santa Cruz by September 2nd, 2019, to be entered to win.
View the books below, and pick up your ballot at Bookshop Santa Cruz, or download one here.
Thank you to all who joined us on August 18th for our own “political caucus event!” Hosted by Third County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty, volunteers from the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County gave a 2-3 minute pitch about what they learned about the candidate from their book. All attendees then voted for which candidate's book persuaded them the most. Our results at the Caucus event were:
Elizabeth Warren: 39%
Joe Biden: 23%
Kamala Harris: 20%
Bernie Sanders: 12%
Pete Buttigieg: 6%
Many of our attendees also took their new knowledge and transformed it to action with Santa Cruz Indivisible, who provided opportunities to direct your passion to elect progressive candidates for the 2020 General Election. Santa Cruz Indivisible will be focusing on the races in the Senate for AZ, SC, KY, Congressional CA21 and CA22 races, and the Presidential, and will be soliciting volunteers to assist with GOTV, candidate support efforts, and more! If you missed the event, but would still like to get involved, you can read more about Santa Cruz Indivisble here.
Co-sponsored by the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County and Santa Cruz Indivisible.
This program is part of Bookshop Santa Cruz’s year-long programming effort 2020 Vision , which uses reading recommendations, author events, and community partnerships to look back on where we have been as a country, shine a light on our current affairs, and look ahead to the monumental year of 2020 and beyond.
“If we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen.” - Joe Biden, former Vice President, former Senator from Delaware
“I believe that we can build a country where no one is forgotten, no one is left behind … where we see the faces of our leaders on television and feel pride, not shame.” - Cory Booker, Senator from New Jersey, former Mayor of Newark
“I launched a presidential exploratory committee because it is a season for boldness and it is time to focus on the future.” - Pete Buttiegieg, Mayor of South Bend, ID, US military veteran
“I’m running for president because it’s time for new leadership. Because it’s time for new energy.” - Julian Castro, former housing secretary, former Mayor of San Antonio
“I think I’m the right person for the job, but not enough people knew who I was or still know who I am.” - John K. Delaney, Former Congressman from Maryland, former businessman
(Please note: This book cannot be returned.)
“I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom I am going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own.” - Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator from New York, former Congresswoman
"The time has come…to fundamentally shift the dialogue of American politics. I’m running for president to force the tough conversation about the costs of endless wars of choice." - Miek Gravel, former Senator from Alaska, former state legistlator, US military veteran
“I believe our country wants and needs some leadership that provides a vision of the country in which everyone could see themselves.” - Kamala Harris, Senator from California, former Attorney General of California, former San Francisco District Attorney
“I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver.” - John Hickenlooper, former Governor of Colorado, former Mayor of Denver
“It is time to organize, time to galvanize, time to take back our democracy.” - Amy Klobuchar, Senator from Minnesota, former Hennepin County, Minn., attorney
“This is going to be a positive campaign that seeks to bring out the very best from every single one of us, that seeks to unite a divided country.” - Beto O'Rourke, former Congressman from Texas
“I’ve watched the American Dream slip through the fingers of many Americans ... It’s time for us to start building the America we deserve.” - Tim Ryan, Congressman from Ohio, former congressional staffer
“The only way we will win this election and create a government and economy that work for all is with a grassroots movement — the likes of which has never been seen in American history.” - Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont, former Congressman
“It’s time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top.” - Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusettes, former Harvard professor
(Please note: This book cannot be returned.)
“We need a moral and spiritual awakening in the country … Nothing short of that is adequate to fundamentally change the patterns of our political dysfunction.” - Marianne Williamson, self-help author, new age lecturer
“Universal basic income is an old idea, but it’s an old idea that right now is uniquely relevant because of what we’re experiencing in society.” - Andrew Yang, Former tech executive who founded an economic development nonprofit
