On The Record: Jace Reeder

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with Jace Reeder, the Executive Director for the Denton County Democratic Party.

How did you get started in politics? Did you come to it in your youth or later on?

I have been interested in politics since I was in the third grade. I was one of the few people in my class that year to support Michael Dukakis. I didn’t become an activist until I was 20. I got tired of the way things were going in this country and I decided that I should try to do something to change it.

What was your personal progression from the role of activist to the role of Executive Director for the Denton County Democratic Party?

I had been active with the county party for about 6 or 7 years and had become one of the more active members in it. I really just got the job out of luck. I had just gotten my Masters and needed a job and the county party needed someone to fill the position. It’s funny, when I took the job it looked like I would only be here for two or three months. I have now been here for two years.

What would you say are the primary issues concerning your area of Denton County?

Right now, we’re starting to plan the Primary Election for next March. I believe Texas is the only state where the county parties are responsible for organizing the primary elections. This is of course means a lot of work for us. Denton County this year redrew and renumbered some of the precincts. We’re now trying to figure out who will vote where and how many polling locations to have under the new map.

Do you have plans to run for any party office, or possibly even public office?

Oh, possibly. Who knows what the future will hold? I imagine that I will always be involved with the party in one way or another

Who are some of your political heroes?

Robert Kennedy is probably my all time favorite Democrat. Paul Wellstone was someone that I really admired. The day he died was very sad for me.

What are you looking forward to in the coming cycle?

Presidential elections are always exciting so I am very much looking forward to that. Locally, I think we will have more qualified candidates than we have had in a long time. We also have more active volunteers than we have had since I became involved. Sadly, I don’t think we can pull off what Dallas County did in 2006, however, I think Denton County will surprise some people in 2008. The future looks very bright for Denton County and I feel the best is yet to come. Stay tuned.