Democrats have been mostly an afterthought in staunchly conservative Escondido for decades, but the Escondido Democrat Club has gained momentum in recent years with a new group of tech-savvy and enthusiastic volunteers.

The group, which has grown to 100 active members and has 400 people on its mailing list, helped get Olga Diaz elected to the previously all-Republican City Council in 2008 and has begun attracting prominent speakers of all ideologies to its monthly meetings.

In addition, videos of club meetings are posted on YouTube shortly after they conclude, and club members have been credited with ardently helping get Democrats elected elsewhere in the county and sharply increasing the number of local Democrats registered to vote.

As a result, the San Diego Democratic Party has selected the Escondido Democrats as County Club of the Year.

"They're willing to go out and proudly get the word out about their beliefs," said Jess Durfee, Democrat Party chairman for the county. "We know how tough it is for them in a city that has a reputation as being very conservative. But they are still out there, giving Escondido residents a choice."

Even Councilman Sam Abed, who is an active member of the Escondido Republican Club, said local Democrats should be recognized for helping get Diaz elected and for broadening political debate in the city.

But Abed said the club's growing influence should not be overstated, and he warned that the club was in danger of alienating ordinary Escondido voters by focusing too much on illegal immigration and the city's driver's license checkpoints.

Registered Republicans have outnumbered registered Democrats in Escondido by a roughly 2-to-1 ratio for many years, but the ratio has been about 3-to-2 since 2008.

According to figures from the county registrar of voters office, Escondido had 22,235 registered Republicans and 15,301 registered Democrats on April 1.

But Abed attributed the shift to frustration with former President George W. Bush and enthusiasm in 2008 about President Barack Obama's candidacy, not to any change in local ideology.

On immigration, Abed said the club has pushed too far.

"They seem to think illegal immigrants should have the same rights as citizens," he said. "I don't think that will sit well with the city's base."

That base helped Escondido be named the nation's 11th-most conservative city with at least 100,000 residents in 2005 by the Bay Area Center for Voting Research.

Outnumbered and overshadowed

But Paul McNamara, the club's president, said Escondido has always had lots of Democrats ---- they've just been outnumbered and overshadowed by Republicans.

"The club is a place for these people to have a voice," he said. "We are a counterbalance to the City Council majority. A lot of us think the voice of the business community has been a little too dominant on the council."

Rick Moore, who acts as a club spokesman and previously served as president, said the club hopes to add another Democrat to the council this fall to bring about more change.

"Olga is a start, but it's really tough on her by herself," he said.

Club members said they want the local business community to thrive just as much as Republicans do, but that new development must be balanced against quality of life.

"We don't support mindless pursuit of development just because we need jobs badly right now," Moore said.

McNamara said the club got a sharp influx of young and enthusiastic members during the Obama presidential campaign, and that he hopes to continue that trend.

One such new member is Noel Steiner, 38, a stay-at-home mom. "The club has been a great way to get involved," Steiner said.

Diaz said the club helped her get elected by providing many volunteers, and she said an improved newsletter and posting videos on YouTube has helped improve the group's appeal.

The club has come a long way since it was revived in 1996 after a long period of inactivity.

Thor Emblem, who served as president from 1996 to 2002, said the revival was an uphill battle.

"In those days, there weren't a lot of people in Escondido willing to admit they were a Democrat," he said.

But that wasn't always the case, according to Theron Preston, who joined the club in 1960.

He said Democrats were also outnumbered 2-to-1 back then, but that the club was still very active.

He said club members cheered for President John Kennedy when he spoke at San Diego State University in 1963, strongly supported George McGovern's unsuccessful 1972 presidential campaign against incumbent Richard Nixon, and fought against Proposition 13, which reduced California property taxes in 1978.

But Preston, who taught at Escondido High School from 1960 to 1993, said the club lost steam in the 1980s and early 1990s, when many members began focusing on their children and other interests.

Call staff writer David Garrick at 760-740-5468.