“You know, I wish people in blue states understood something. For them, Republicans are an inconvenience. For us, they’re a daily threat.”
So said an incredibly astute friend (and fellow red-state Democrat) last week, after 38 U.S. Senators voted against a federally protected right to contraception.
Guess where those 38 Senators are from?
Red states. Super red states.
But, if you live in a blue state, here’s what you might not have realized before last week’s vote: those 38 red state Senators want the whole country to be as red as their state. And they won’t stop until they get what they want. They’ve already created a conservative playground in their own backyard.
They’re coming for yours, now.
If that wasn’t clear before they voted against contraception last week, it should be crystal now. They’re serious. They’re motivated. They’re well on their way.
That’s about as uncomfortable as it gets, I know. But there’s a path forward – just probably not the one you expected.
Because in order to beat back the MAGA extremism that’s pushing those 38 red state Senators so far to the right, we actually have to fight everywhere – including states like Mississippi and Missouri and Arkansas and Tennessee that aren’t on anybody’s electoral radar right now, because they don’t feel winnable or flippable. (Of course, in a cruel bit of circularity, they don’t feel flippable or winnable because they haven’t been on anyone’s electoral radar for decades.)
Maybe it feels strange to specifically focus attention on non-flippable places. But before you come after me – I’m not saying we shouldn’t fund, support, and otherwise work incredibly hard on flippable districts or in flippable states. For goodness’ sake, of course we need to do that. Frankly, it should go without saying that it needs to be an area of focus.
But it already is an area of focus, and it has been for a long time. State parties – even in (especially in?) red states spend significant energy, time, and treasure on purple districts. Here in Missouri, the Democrats running in the flippable exurban and suburban state senate seats will raise hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars – even while candidates running in the most gerrymandered state senate districts will struggle to raise $5,000. And that’s in uber-red Missouri.
The thing is – Democrats are actually pretty good about supporting candidates in purple, flippable districts. We’re also pretty good at funding races against people we love to hate. (See, e.g., Marjorie Taylor Green and Mitch McConnell)
It’s the so-called “lost causes” that get neglected. And that’s where red-state MAGA wingnuts get a toehold. They gain experience, prove their street cred, pass their craziest fever-dream policies…
We’ve proven that when we give them free runway, they take it and fly.
So, remind me, why are we giving them free runway?
Because we forget that sometimes the fight matters more than the win – and, as David Pepper said on his podcast this week:
“The service you are doing as a candidate doesn’t only begin on the day you win, if you win. It begins the day you run.”
That’s what David said during his interview of Ari Childrey, a progressive trans woman (and Blue Ohio supported nominee!) running in THE reddest district in Ohio. Ari’s Republican opponent has the best possible electoral scenario. Anyone looking at the Democratic performance in the district would say that Ari’s chances at winning her election are very slim.
You’d think that her Republican opponent would relish the chance to run against Ari, right?
You’d be wrong. Her opponent’s first order of business was to try to get Ari off of the ballot altogether. Even in the reddest district in Ohio, Republicans are afraid of the accountability and transparency that an opponent brings.
What should that tell us?
They want that unobstructed runway.
Here’s another example. When progressive rural Democrat Jessica Piper ran for state house in northwest Missouri, she shocked Republicans by raising over $270k – to contest a district that hadn’t had a Democratic candidate in cycles. Her opponent had to raise over $100k just to keep up with her. Her presence also forced him to attend candidate forums, where he had to answer real questions from real people about real issues.
It was incredibly annoying to Republicans. (She continues to be a thorn in their side, which is delightful!)
Did she win? No. But she made progress, she stood in their way, she took up their time and their energy and their funding – and for God’s sake that matters.
Friend, we need to take the battle to Republicans, and stop accepting the battle lines as they have been drawn for us. After all, red state legislatures have decided where those lines are drawn and they’ve not drawn them to be kind to you. They have sliced and diced those districts with surgical, street-level precision to benefit themselves.
Those red state legislatures have decided what districts are red (which they hope Democrats won’t contest at all), which are purple (which they know we will fight tooth-and-nail for), and which are solidly blue.
So why fight only in the places in which Republicans show they want you to fight?
You want to boost the chances in purple districts? Then deny Republicans financial flexibility by forcing them to invest in races they think are a given. Draw fire away from the Democrats running in purple seats by running in areas that haven’t seen a Democratic candidate in decades.
And for goodness’ sake: fund the nominees that are running in the ruby-red districts – not despite the fact that they’re tough districts.
But because they are tough districts.
Friend, red state Democrats are fighting like cornered cats with not much more than our bare hands. We aren’t looking for sympathy. We’re looking for company.
You in?
Let’s get to work.
p.s. Here’s a ray of hope: just as I was writing this, news broke that the DNC is investing millions of dollars in 11 non-battleground states. The investments are “specifically targeting certain places that aren’t at the heart of the presidential or congressional battlefield.”
This is exactly what I’m talking about: denying Republicans free runway and gobbing up their gears by building up our own Democratic infrastructure and momentum – especially in rural spaces. Here’s a hat tip and many thanks to the DNC!
Now we just need to take that same playbook and apply it everywhere. (More on how to do that below…)
Small Deeds to Do for June 11, 2024
Here’s the part where – if you are so inclined – we roll up our sleeves and engage in what I like to call Action Therapy. Each Tuesday I share a Small Thing to Read, a Small Event to Attend, and a Small Call to Make or Action to Take. You can tuck these actions into your week with ease – and know that you’re doing something today to make tomorrow better.
Small Action to Take:
Of course, if after reading this you’re motivated and inspired to support red state Democrats, I’m here for it! At Every State Blue (https://everystateblue.org/), we crowdfund support for underfunded Democrats – and have state projects in Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee and nationally with our federal Forgotten Democrats program. You can support our work here, or join one of our projects (Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Forgotten Dems).
Small Event to Attend: Blue Tennessee Meeting Thursday!
Join Blue Tennessee (featuring special guest host Jessica Piper) on Thursday night at 7:30 eastern to talk about the school voucher scam (among other things!). Jess, a former teacher herself, will be joined by Spanish teacher and Democratic candidate for state legislature Noah Nordstrom; city councilmember and Democratic candidate for state senate Karen Reynolds; and the Public Education Campaign Organizer for Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvfuqqqDItHNXvp2hugVeauG6QEinf53Jy
Small Thing to Read:
This was a harrowing, but important, read about Russ Vought, a lesser-well-known member of Trump’s inner circle. Here’s the lede paragraph: “A battle-tested D.C. bureaucrat and self-described Christian nationalist is drawing up detailed plans for a sweeping expansion of presidential power in a second Trump administration. Russ Vought, who served as the former president’s budget chief, calls his political strategy for razing long-standing guardrails ‘radical constitutionalism.’”
Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/08/russ-vought-trump-second-term-radical-constitutional/
Thanks for reading, friend – I’m glad to see you here! If you love what I do and you want to support it, consider becoming a paid subscriber on substack. It means a lot!
Small Deeds Done 