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Nationally, Democrats had many reasons to celebrate the results of the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans have narrowly secured a majority in the House, but Democrats have won most of the battlegrounds, most recently Senator Raphael Warnock in the runoff, removing some Republican-held seats. There was even
Perhaps the two biggest victories for the Southern Republicans were the landslide reelection of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the overthrow of Tennessee’s gerrymander-encrusted 5th District. The TNDP continued to retreat deeper into its ultra-minority status as Democrats significantly outperformed expectations across the country.
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Tennessee tells a different story
Tennessee Democrats narrowly defended their seats at the convention, including Caleb Hemmer’s victory in the open HD-59 race and prominent Knoxville representative Gloria Johnson fending off a Republican challenger. Despite his strong appearance and backlash against Gov. Bill Lee, Jason Martin performed worse than Carl Dean in his 2018 gubernatorial race.
Despite significant ideological shifts between Republicans and Democrats in the last century, a drastic reform is needed if the TNDP wants to become a competitive political faction again.
One of the most bipartisan sentiments I hear is that the Democratic Party, at least on a national level, has gone from being a blue-collar party to being a party of the “coastal elite.” It is self-evident that such an image is not supported in Tennessee. Of course, there are other underlying problems. Examples include the state’s conservative stance in the “culture wars,” gerrymandering, and state government’s unwavering hostility to the status quo.
At Jason Martin’s event, I remember TNDP Chairman Hendrell Remus frankly explaining the party’s situation. He acknowledged that there are some counties where the party may have to rely on its county chapter and the Democrats may never win again.
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Invest in grassroots movements and communities
Throughout history, the most successful activist movements have relied on grassroots support. That’s what my home state, the Rutherford County Democratic Party, has done well, despite limited resources. Despite the elitist image neoliberals have created within the party, local Democrats have an opportunity to pave the way for new populist movements.
As part of that, it should reflect the tactics of TNOP. Start locally. We elect progressive candidates to school boards, county commissions, mayors, and expand to legislative seats. Change starts locally, and it becomes a non-negotiable tactic for the revival of the Democratic Party in Tennessee.
Additionally, the Democratic Party needs to strengthen its classic image as the big tent. Failure to do so has consequences such as working-class Latinos moving to the Republican Party. The party has ideologies ranging from centrist to progressive and everything in between. The Blue Dogs are perhaps the most prominent centrists, while the Progressive Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition constitute the progressives and modern liberals respectively.
Other groups have emerged or been ignored. Examples of the former include the Democratic Liberal Party Caucus, an activist group that blends libertarian principles with modern liberalism. The best example of the latter would be labor unions, as seen in President Biden’s recent betrayal of railroad workers.
In summary, there are a few key steps the Tennessee Democrats should take if they want to level up to TNGOP. The party must rely on and support grassroots activists. Related, they need to take back their local office and break the status quo. Finally, they need to foster and expand ideological associations.
After all, we never know when these allies will come and save the election.
Ryan Foster worked on state Senator Heidi Campbell’s campaign for the US House of Representatives.
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