The Spencer County Democratic Party is pleased to welcome Ray McCormick, candidate for U.S.Representative in Indiana’s 8th District, and Destiny Scott Wells, candidate for Secretary of State, as featured speakers at the annual Spencer County JFK Dinner and Silent Auction on Sunday, April 24th at the Spencer County Youth & Community Center in Chrisney. 8th District chair, Thomasina Marsili, and local candidates will also be in attendance including Sheriff Kelli Reinke, candidate for Prosecutor – Dan Wilkinson, Assessor Jane McGinnis, and County Councilmen Todd Groundhoefer and Todd Ruxer, and township candidates.
Sponsored by the Spencer County Democratic Central Committee, the menu will feature smoked pork, creek fries, baked beans, salad, bread, cupcakes for dessert, as well as hot dogs for kids. Doors will open at 11:30 AM CDT with meal service starting at 12:30 PM CDT and carry-out service available. There will also be a silent auction and attendance door prizes. Tickets are $15 (free for students and children) and can be purchased in advance online atspencerdemocrats.org or by calling Secretary Bob Compton at (812) 937-2178. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.
“We are excited to bring local Democratic Party members back together for this annual event after a two year hiatus caused by the pandemic. I encourage and invite all Democratic Party supporters to join us for an afternoon of great food and fellowship. This will also be a great time to meet county and township candidates and hear from candidates for Congress and Indiana Secretary of State,” said Spencer County Democratic Party Chairman, Dan Wilkinson.“We will also have some great gift basket items up for silent auction and be having special recognition for some of our past Spencer County office holders,” Wilkinson said.
Ray McCormick is native to Indiana’s 8th District and lives with hiswife of 42 years, Cheryl, on their Knox County farm where five generations of McCormicks have lived and farmed. Ray also has a son, Nate, a daughter, Marilyn, and two grandchildren.
A lifetime of dedication to the principles of conservation has led Ray across the nation, testiying before Congress on conservation issues and having a leadership role in the development of conservation provisions in five separate farm bills. Ray has also been an Indiana delegate to the National Association of Soil and Water Conservations Districts and served on the board of the National Wildlife Federation.
Ray believes protecting our abundant natural resources and our
critical infrastructure will directly impact and benefit both urban and
rural families for generations to come. “I understand the
importance of balancing the needs of farmers with the needs of our
cities. We all depend on each other; when we all work together, imagine what we can accomplish,” McCormick says. Ray is well positioned to lead and represent the 8th District in Congress, working to promote conservation and balance the needs of farmers and rural areas with the needs of our growing cities. “Working together, we have atremendous opportunity to lead the country with our values of hard work, common sense, and grit. A healthy community is a safe, productive, and thriving community and one every personin the 8th district deserves. Let’s work together to make the 8th District a national leader in environmental and economic innovation,” McCormick says.
Destiny Scott Wells has served in government at the local, state, federal, and multi-national level. She started with her own civil practice in her hometown, Martinsville, Indiana, learning the dynamics and challenges facing small Hoosier communities. Later she served as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Indiana where she represented the Department Correction, driving across the state to all its facilities to depose incarcerated litigants. She then went on to practice as Associate Corporation Counsel for the City of Indianapolis and Marion County, representing clients from DPW to IMPD during the civil unrest of summer 2020.
A military intelligence officer in the U.S Army Reserve, Destiny has 19 years of service. She has completed multiple tours, to include a combat tour in Afghanistan, and recently left active duty as adjunct faculty teaching military history with the Army Command and General Staff College. She has received multiple awards such as two Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Badge for directly being in combat, the NATO Campaign Ribbon, and more. Nationally, she is recognized as Defense Council with the Truman National Security Project, a group that has seen membership from Indiana Democrats like Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and IDP Chairman Mike Schmuhl.
“As a veteran who proudly served and defended the freedoms of our nation, we must safeguard democracy on the home front — like free and fair elections,” Wells said. “That is whyI seek the privilege of becoming Indiana’s next secretary of state,” Well says.
Destiny is also a Deputy Chair for Coalitions and Expansion for the Indiana Democratic Party, and also a graduate of Hoosier Women Forward now serving on the Board of Directors. Destiny also serves outside of government and politics on the Board of Directors with the Milk Bank. She holds degrees from Indiana University – Bloomington and The University of Texas School of Law. And she and husband Oliver, also an Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel, live in downtown Indianapolis with their two sons, Owen (10, stepson) and Harrison (2).
