It’s important now more than ever for Democrats to run for office in red states at every level, from the town dog catcher to governor, senator, and Congress. The DNC should be funding a “50 state strategy” as soon as the midterms are over.
Here’s why.
- Republicans are out of practice.
- Republican corruption is at an all-time high.
- Democrats have been misrepresented so long that by acting normal, you can stand out and seem worthy of consideration.
And there’s a bonus fourth point: Every time Democrats run in a red state, it forces Republicans to spend money they hadn’t been expecting to spend.
Let’s look at these points.
Point Number One: Republicans Are Out of Practice
Republicans have been running without Democratic competition for so long, that they’ve lost the “muscle memory” for how to do it.
During the primaries they run against other Republicans where the challenge is to out-crazy the other candidate. Then, when it gets to the actual election, there’s no Democrat running. So they literally have no experience running against Democrats. After decades of this, they don’t even have political consultants that are prepared for that kind of race.
There is no better situation for a candidate than to run against a candidate who doesn’t know what they’re doing or doesn’t have a good strategy for how to deal with running against you.
Here’s an example from a purple state: The last governor’s election in New Jersey had a GOPer running who was so in the “crazy Republican” bubble that he couldn’t open his mouth without saying something stupid and his entire campaign team couldn’t help him because they’ve all been brainwashed by Faux News.
Point Number Two: Republican Corruption Is at an All-Time High
If you remember The Dukes of Hazzard you had Boss Hogg, who ran the town, and was corrupt as hell. Why? Because he had no competition. No one ever ran against him, and the longer that happened, the more corrupt he could be.
And that’s the situation we have in a lot of these red states. There’s no check and balance from having a serious competitor each election. They’ve gotten lax about just how corrupt they can be.
This is an opportunity for Democrats running against them to run on a “clean government platform”. That’s a topic that polls well with Republicans and independents..
Every GOPer that has been unchallenged for decades has a closest full of skeletins. Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders couldn’t buy a fucking podium (yes, a wooden podium) without using it as an opportunity to send people’s tax dollars to her corrupt friends. She shredded the delivery bill of lading and altered records to cover it up. Don’t believe me? Do a websearch for “PodiumGate”.
Point Number Three: Democrats Have Been Misrepresented So Long That You Can Stand Out by Acting Normal
So what do I mean by this?
In deep red states, Democrats have been so demonized that people literally believe that Democrats have horns. All you have to do as a candidate is just not be crazy, not be the nightmare that Fox News has portrayed Democrats as, and people are going to say, “Oh, this one’s different.”
Look at James Talarico in Texas. He’s just a calm, level-headed gentleman who speaks just like fellow Texans.
Look at former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, who’s running for governor of Alabama. He speaks like a person from Alabama. He’s plainspoken. He talks about the local issues that are important to people, not the crazy national issues that Fox News talks about.
So when he talks, people say, “Oh, he really understands me, and he’s not like those other ones.”
Democrats in red states cannot run as socialists, and that’s okay. Every state is different, and every campaign must be customized to its local audience.
And that’s how we win.
The Bonus Point: Every Democrat Who Runs Forces Republicans to Spend Money
Now, as a bonus, there’s a fourth point: Every time Democrats run in a red state, it forces Republicans to spend money they hadn’t been expecting to spend.
This is happening right now. There is so much money pouring into Texas that it is starving the Republican candidates in other states. Republicans shift campaign cash as midterm map grows more challenging. Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ)’s funding from the House GOP leadership fun was withdrawn so they could spend it elsewhere.
Imagine if there were a credible, serious campaign for every seat in every red state. It would defund the Republican efforts. This is one way to fight against an opponent that has a big money advantage. If you can’t out-fund them, force them to spend it elsewhere.
So what?
That’s why I’m donating to organizations that are training Democrats to run everywhere:
I hope you join me in supporting these organizations.
