A Jefferson–Jackson Dinner is a title traditionally given to an annual fundraising celebration held by

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

organizations in the United States. It is named for Presidents

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

and

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, which the party traditionally calls its founders. They are usually held in February or March at a local level providing an opportunity for elected officials, candidates, party staff, advisors, and donors to attend. The Republican Party's equivalent is usually called a Lincoln Dinner, Reagan Dinner, or Lincoln–Reagan Dinner. Into the 1960s, state and local Democratic Parties across the country depended on well-attended Jefferson–Jackson Day dinners to provide their annual funding. Their financial importance has somewhat dimmed with the development of other

political party funding Political Party Funding (PPF) is a method used by a political party to raise money for campaigns and routine activities. The funding of political parties is an aspect of campaign finance. Political parties are funded by contributions from multip ...

strategies, although they still serve a function for social networking and conferences.

Change of name

Due to controversies over Jefferson's slaveholding and Jackson's policy toward Native Americans while in office, some Democratic Party organizations have been removing Jefferson and Jackson from the title of party fundraisers. The flow of the State Democratic Parties seeking to change the name of their iconic Jefferson-Jackson dinner is spurred by a desire to embrace a more modern identity. The usual argument made is that while Jefferson and Jackson were both great men and for a time embodied the spirit of the Democratic Party, they now fail to represent the breadth of change that has affected the Democratic Party and its current membership. Many state Democratic Parties have changed the traditional name. For example: * In 2012, the Democratic Party of Mississippi initially renamed the dinner after civil rights leader

Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer (; Townsend; October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977) was an American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. She was the co-founder and vice-chair of the Freedom De ...

, with a Jefferson–Jackson–Hamer celebration, and subsequently renamed the dinner the Hamer-Winter Dinner after Hamer and former governor William Winter in 2018. * Florida Democratic Party renamed their key dinner event "Leadership Blue." * Missouri changed the name of their State Dinner to honor Missourian

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. * Georgia has changed the name of their State Dinner. * Iowa in August, 2015 voted to change the name of their Jefferson–Jackson Dinner. It is now known as the Liberty and Justice Celebration. * Nebraska Democrats host an annual Morrison Exon Dinner, named after former governors Frank B. Morrison and J. James Exon. * As of 2016,

Indiana Democrats Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

have removed Jefferson and Jackson's names from the dinner, renaming the dinner the Hoosier Hospitality Dinner. * The

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

renamed theirs to the Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in 2012, after former Vice-Presidents

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

and

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

. * Virginia Democrats renamed their dinner to the Blue Commonwealth Gala in 2018. * The North Carolina Democratic Party renamed their statewide dinner from Jefferson-Jackson to the Unity Dinner in 2017. Another party dinner for western North Carolina Democrats, the Vance-Aycock Dinner (named after former governors

Zebulon Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War. A prolific writer and noted public speak ...

and Charles Aycock since 1960) was renamed the Western Gala in 2011, due to the fact that Vance was a Confederate veteran and Aycock led the Wilmington insurrection of 1898. * The

Texas Democratic Party The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas. President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Texas Democ ...

renamed theirs to the Johnson-Jordan Dinner in 2014, honoring president

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

and congresswoman

Barbara Jordan Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-A ...

.Parties swap names on fundraising dinners to reflect modern alignment
/ref> The Republican party has similarly moved away from " Lincoln Dinners" due to American

political realignment A political realignment, often called a critical election, critical realignment, or realigning election, in the academic fields of political science and political history, is a set of sharp changes in party ideology, issues, party leaders, regional ...

since the 1960s, especially in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

where culturally conservative White Southerners now tend to be Republicans, while Black voters now tend to be Democrats.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson-Jackson Day Democratic Party (United States) events Thomas Jefferson Andrew Jackson Annual events in the United States Naming controversies Dinner

Change of name

See also

References