Don't Take the Bait Democrats

Republicans think white suburban women could be the lynchpin of the November gubernatorial election. Some Democrats believe shoring up the black woman base like Doug Jones did in Alabama is the lynchpin. Who is right? BOTH. There is no secret sauce. Winning the votes of people is the key. Getting your base to the polls is the key. Arguing about which part of your base is the most important, the most valid, the most relevant, IS NOT THE KEY! I am watching the Republicans play on the sensitivities of the Democrats to increase the divide within the party. Pay attention.

Take the recent Politico article where the question, again, is around the race of the two Democrat candidates and their voters. The article, like many others, explores whether black women or suburban white women are the key to a win for Democrats. Democrats have an opportunity to address race without making it the sole issue of the debate. But will they?

Democrats pay attention. The Republican Party knows that they are in trouble. As the Politico article describes, despite Georgia being a red state, Republicans know they have a liability … TRUMP. They know in the next eleven months leading up to the November 2018 General Election that they have no clue what xenophobic, homophobic, racist, or ignorant tweets or comments the President may make to swing voters point of view. Further, the Republican candidates for governor do not know what to do with him so they are mostly going to try to pretend Trump does not exist.

It is not just what Trump says or does, but it is how the Republican leadership at the local and state levels respond to it that matters. They know that no matter which of the two leading Democrats win, they have a perception problem. As the Politico article points out, “Illustrating their fears of losing a key demographic, Republican strategists who specialize in gubernatorial races have begun holding focus groups to gauge the likelihood of a suburban mass exodus to Democrats.” No matter one’s policy beliefs, it is getting more and more difficult for swing voters to hold their nose and ignore the stench that surrounds the president’s rhetoric.

Read more: https://www.georgiapol.com/2018/01/24/dont-take-bait-dems/