Democrats focus on South ahead of Election Day
79 views · Published 29 October 2018 · 3:31 · Indexed 4 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(24 Oct 2018) STORYLINE: After decades of losing ground across most of the South, Democrats are finding unexpected energy in the region during the 2018 midterm elections. Even in states traditionally seen as deeply red, the party is finding hope for a resurgence – in local and state races as well as on a national stage. In the four-part series Southern Inroads, The Associated Press looks at a few key areas of Southern states where Democrats are focusing energy as Election Day approaches. Tennessee Democrats know something about disappointment.The last time voters chose a governor, the party pinned its hopes on a long shot punch line named Charlie Brown, who was trounced by 30 percentage points. The western Florida Panhandle isn't where state Democrats tend to stop when looking for votes, but some campaigns are heading there as part of an effort to reach out to rural communities that tend to overwhelmingly support Republicans. Democrats hope to break their losing streak with a new focus on areas where they haven't mounted much of a fight in more than two decades - the thinking is that even if they don't carry these rural counties, they can cut the margin of defeat enough to be more competitive statewide. In Alabama, Democratic candidates aren't getting much help from the state party. The party organization is a shell of its former self. It has been enfeebled by years of Republican dominance in Alabama and plagued more recently by infighting and debt. It has little manpower to devote to advertising and phone banks and has been dormant for months at a time on social media. Alabama's Democratic candidates are on their own - some want the party to do more; others are taking matters into their own hands. North Carolina's re-energized and heavily financed Democratic party is casting its get-out-the-vote net far and wide this year in an effort to wrest the legislature from Republicans and end a long-running battle between lawmakers and the executive branch. With no statewide races on the ballot next month, the party has been focusing its efforts on legislative candidates and, thanks largely to the state's Democratic governor, has raised millions of dollars to boost the effort. For the first time in recent political history, the Democrats are offering candidates for all 170 seats. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/43acef490d27b8b48fe62a30bcebedbe
