Greater Godfrey Democrats Discuss Community Outreach, Open Meetings and Voter Engagement
GODFREY - The Greater Godfrey Democrats are calling for community members to get out and vote in the midterms.
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Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026, but early voting has already started. Craig Rathgeb, president of the Greater Godfrey Democrats, shared that the group has been busy meeting with voters and promoting candidates. He hopes people will make the time to vote and share their opinions.
“Go vote,” he said. “Vote however you feel for your candidates. Obviously, I’d prefer you to vote for Democratic candidates. But the important thing is, it’s a democracy, and we need to get out there and vote and share our voices.”
The Greater Godfrey Democrats group was founded two years ago as the precinct committee for the Democratic Party in Godfrey and parts of Fosterburg. The organization is part of the Madison County Democrats. They have about 120 regular members who participate.
The group meets on the second Monday of each month at the IBEW Hall 649. They encourage people to stop by and join their meetings.
Rathgeb noted that anyone is invited, but they request that people remain “civil.” It’s important to him and the organization to have productive conversations rather than fights.
As part of that goal, the Greater Godfrey Democrats have decided not to criticize the local Republican Party on their Facebook page. Instead, they focus on promoting Democrats and the work of their own party.
Rathgeb believes this mindset encourages conversations. He hopes people across the region can come together instead of being polarized.
“I think generally across Godfrey and into Alton, most people are in the middle to moderate views around politics, and I think we share some commonalities,” he said. “We’re out here trying to help each other. Everybody has the same goals. They want to have a good family life, they want to have security, they want to have some financial security, be able to take their kids on vacation once in a while. I think we can all agree on that. There are some commonalities on both sides of the aisle. How we get there, we can debate and we can discuss.”
Looking ahead to Nov. 3, the group has a few Democrats who they hope will win the midterms. Juliana Stratton is running for U.S. Senator, and the group is pushing for J.B. Pritzker and Christian Mitchell to take the Illinois Governor and Lieutenant Governor seats, respectively. They also support Kwame Raoul as Attorney General and Alexi Giannoulias as Secretary of State.
They are advocating for Margaret Croke as Comptroller and Michael W. Frerichs as Treasurer. More locally, the group hopes to see Nikki Budzinski retain her seat as the representative in Congress for Illinois’ 13th District, and Jennifer Todd to take the 15th District seat.
Marsia Geldert-Murphey hopes to represent the 56th District in the Illinois State Senate. Rosetta “Rosie” Brown is aiming to become the Illinois representative for the 111th District. They also endorse Rachelle Bauerle as the Madison County Clerk and Recorder.
Michael “Mike” Krewson is the Democratic challenger for the Madison County Board District 5 seat. The group encourages people to vote yes to retain Circuit Judge Dennis Ruth.
As the election approaches, Rathgeb and his team encourage people to vote and engage with their communities. He suggests people can stop by a Greater Godfrey Democrats meeting for more information, or visit their official Facebook page.
This featured article is sponsored by the Greater Godfrey Democrats. To get your business or organization featured on www.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
