The Pittsburgh 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club (the “Club“) is the oldest continuously-operating independent Democratic club in the country. Our members are registered Democratic Party members in Pittsburgh’s 14th Ward (Swisshelm Park, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Point Breeze, Park Place, North Point Breeze, and Duck Hollow) who believe in Democratic Party ideals. Many of its members come from activist backgrounds and have worked for peace, justice, economic equity, civil rights, equal rights, and other issues.
The Club was founded in 1964 by progressive Democrats in the 14th Ward. The founding members felt the official arms of the Democratic Party were not responsive to the will of the voters in our ward. The groups’ founding principles continue to drive our organization:
- To support the principles of the Democratic Party;
- To make the local Democratic Party responsive to the will of the Democratic voters by encouraging widespread participation in the Democratic Party on the local level;
- To participate in the discussion and solution of community problems;
- To support the formulation of a liberal program of good government; and
- To support Democratic candidates who believe in these purposes.
Each spring, the Club hosts a public meeting with Democratic primary candidates and then members vote to endorse those candidates. The Club distributes a voter’s guide to all of registered Democrats in the 14th Ward.
The 14th Ward is the largest ward in the City of Pittsburgh (representing approximately 20% of votes cast in each election) and is one of the largest political entities in Allegheny County and Pennsylvania, so Club endorsement can be very influential.
Here is an interview with Nathan Hershey about the founding of the club from the Squirrel Hill Historical Society.
